READING COMPREHENSION

THE SENSITIVE PLANT:  

A Magic Show at Your Fingertips

                 by Liana Mahoney

Sensitive people are everywhere.  Some have sensitive feet,

or skin.  Others may have a hard time laughing at their own

mistakes.  Perhaps you live with someone like this.  But can

you imagine living with a sensitive plant?

Try this.  Hold your hand in front of you with your palm side

up, and your fingers spread apart.  Now, imagine that your

hand is a green plant stem, and each of your fingers a leaf.

Use your other hand to touch your leaf fingers.  One at a

time, close each leaf finger, until you have made a fist.

Quickly drop your hand down to your leg.  Wait a little

while, then slowly bring your hand back to its original

position.  That wasn't so hard, right?  But you're a person!

Imagine behaving like this as a plant! 

It's just this kind of behavior that has earned the sensitive

plant its name.  Brush your fingers gently across the leaves

of the sensitive plant, and the leaves instantly fold up like

tiny green fingers.  The stems, called petioles, droop as if

ready to fall off the plant.  About ten minutes later, the

leaves reopen, and the petioles rise again!  The unusual

behavior of this houseplant has earned it other common

names, such as the “humble plant” and the “touch-menot.”

Sensitive plants are easy to grow inside your house.  They

simply need to get plenty of water and sunlight.  But

touching the plant too often can cause the plant to lose its

leaves.  A sensitive plant that loses many of its leaves may

become unhealthy.  

Having such a unique plant in your house is like having a

magic show at your fingertips.  Imagine the fun you can

have introducing a friend to your plant!  Have your friend

lean close to the plant to tell it a joke.  Then instruct your

plant to be the judge of your friend's joke.  Give your plant

a gentle nudge, and watch your friend's reaction as the

plant seems to nod in disapproval.  Be sure to tell your friend

the true cause of the plant's behavior later, though.  You

don't want your friend to become overly sensitive about his

jokes!

THE SENSITIVE PLANT:
A Magic Show at Your Fingertips
                by Liana Mahoney
1.   What makes a sensitive plant a very
unusual type of plant?
     _________________________________________________________________________
     _________________________________________________________________________
2.    How long does it take the leaves of a sensitive plant to fold up after they've
been touched?
a.  about ten minutes b.  about two minutes
c.  about ten seconds d.  they fold instantly
3.   If you have a sensitive plant inside your house, why shouldn't you touch it too
often?
     _________________________________________________________________________
     _________________________________________________________________________
4.    How long does it take a sensitive plant's leaves to reopen after they've folded
up?
     _________________________________________________________________________
     _________________________________________________________________________
5. What two other names is the sensitive plant commonly known by?
     _________________________________________________________________________
     _________________________________________________________________________
Something extra:  With a parent or teacher's help, search for a video of a
sensitive plant on the Internet.