The extinction of many species of birds has undoubtedly been hastened by modern man; since 1600 it has been estimated that approximately 100 bird species have become extinct over the world. In North America, the first species known to be annihilated was the great auk, a flightless bird that served as an easy source of food and bait for Atlantic fishermen through the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Shortly after the great auk’s extinction, two other North American species, the Carolina parakeet and the passenger pigeon, began dwindling noticeably in numbers. The last Carolina parakeet and the last passenger pigeon in captivity both died in September 1914. In addition to these extinct species, several others such as the bald eagle, the peregrine falcon, and the California condor are today recognized as endangered; steps are being taken to prevent their extinction.

1. The number of bird species that have become extinct in the United States since 1600 most probably is 

A. more than 100    B. exactly 100      C. less than 100      D. exactly three

2. The passage implies that the great auk disappeared

A. before 1600        B. in the 1600’s    C. in the 1800’s       D. in the last fifty years

3. It can be inferred from the passage that the great auk was killed because

A. it was eating the fishermen’s catch        B. fishermen wanted to eat it

C. it flew over fishing areas                         D. it baited fishermen

4. The paragraph following this passage most probably discusses

A. what is being done to save endangered birds

B. what the bald eagle symbolizes to Americans

C. how several bird species became endangered

D. other extinct species