Question

adapted from Cassell's Book of Birds, Vol. II
by Alfred Edmund Brehm

The songbirds, also known scientifically as "Oscines," are famous for their distinguished voice. The word oscine comes from Latin oscen, meaning "a songbird." Songbirds have a vocal organ that is highly developed to make melodious tones, but not all songbirds use their vocal ability to create tones. For the songbirds that do produce songs, there are many different types of tunes that can be produced. One can also observe a great variety in the construction of the nests built by different species of songbirds, many exhibiting wonderful skill. In some cases, the birds are known to actually sew together the materials they use, with their sharp beaks.
There are over 4,000 species of songbirds, which make up nearly half of the world's bird population. Shrikes are carnivorous (meat-eating) birds that are from the songbird family. Shrikes are a well-known group and are equally common in all parts of the world. These birds have a powerful body, strong neck, a comparatively large and round head, and broad and rounded wings. Woods surrounded by meadows or pasture lands are the favorite choices of these birds, but they are also constantly found dwelling in hedges, among small branches that have broken off from trees and bushes, or upon solitary trees.
The northern shrike or great grey shrike has a light grey color plumage1 on the upper part of the body; the underside is pure white, and a broad black stripe passes across the eyes. The flight of this shrike is slow and can rarely be sustained for more than a few minutes at a time. Even when merely passing from one tree to another, the bird moves in rippling lines, keeping near the ground, and rapidly flapping both its wings and tail. Its sight is excellent, and its sense of hearing is so sharp that it detects even the slightest sound.
The red-backed shrikes are similar to sparrows but are slightly taller and slimmer. The male red-backed shrike has a bluish-grey head, while the female has a brownish head. These birds are known to imitate not only the voices of their feathered companions, but also other sounds, for example, a dog's bark.

1. the different layers of feathers of a bird
2Question 2
The passage uses its structure
A.
to talk about the traits of different songbirds.
B.
to show how songbirds impact their surroundings.
C.
to discuss the history of songbirds spreading around the world.
D.
to explain how a songbird’s biology relates to its song.

Answer 1

A. The passage moves from general information about songbirds to descriptions of specific types (shrikes, northern shrike, red-backed shrike) and their traits.