Grade: KS2 Subject: English Date:19-10-2020

Chapter 4: Extract 1 Notes

Exercise 1: Save the Orang-utan

1. From the first section of the article headed ‘About the orang-
utan’ write down five facts that you have learnt about the orang-
utan.
Ans: a) Orang-utans are a species of great ape found only in South East
Asia on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
b) They share 97 percent of the same DNA as humans.
c) The gentle red ape demonstrates significant intelligence with an ability
to reason.
d) Orang-utans are actually the largest tree-living mammal in the world.
e) They are more solitary than the other apes.

2. Explain what is meant by ‘indigenous peoples.

Ans: Indigenous people means native people.

3. Why did people of previous times not kill the orang-utans?

Ans: In previous times, the people of the jungle would not kill them
because they felt that the Orang-utan was simply a person hiding in the
trees, trying to avoid having to go to work or become a slave.

4. Find two details that make orang-utans ‘unique in the ape world’.
Ans: a) Only the Orang-utan come from Asia; the other all come from
Africa.
b) There are two separate species of Orang-utan- the Sumatran Orang-
utan (Pongo abelii) and the Borneo Orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus).

5. Explain what is meant by ‘arboreal’.

Ans: Arboreal means living in the trees.

6. Using your own words, explain what has caused the numbers of
the orang-utan to decline. Why, in particular, is the worldwide
demand for palm oil causing so much of a problem?
Ans: Probably the biggest threat is the loss of their natural habitat due
to industrial scale deforestation, forest fires, mining interests and
conversion to palm oil plantations. Orang-utans habitats are destroyed
and converted to palm oil plantation site so that factories can produce
enough palm oil for palm oil products.

7. What is meant by the word ‘extinction’?

Ans: Extinction means a species no longer in existence.

8. Put into your own words: ‘Grown sustainably, palm oil can provide
vital livelihoods in an environmentally friendly way.’
Ans: If there is a steady continual growth instead of a forced one then it
can be important for the livelihood in an eco-friendly manner.

9. Compare the two sections in the article (‘About the orang-utan’

and ‘The devastating effect of palm oil’). Are both sections equally
factual or does one contain more opinion? Use evidence from the
article in your response.
Ans: The first part is mostly fact while the second is opinion. We can
prove this with the sentences given below:
a) Probably the biggest threat is the loss of their natural habitat due to
industrial scale, deforestation, forest fires, mining interests and
conversion to palm oil plantations.
b) Please help us act now to avoid disasters.
c) The Orang-utan can be saved.