ACT Reading Practice Test 20

NATURAL SCIENCE: Those Jellystone Bears

Over the years, there have been countless fans of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Yogi Bear. The cartoon series enjoyed by young and old alike revolved mostly around the misadventures of this

Line 5 loveable bear and his sidekick Boo-Boo as they attempted to snag “pic-a-nic” baskets in the made-up land of Jellystone Park. It’s not often that people think about where the ideas for these cartoons characters come from, which brings up an interesting point: do

10 bears actually search for food left in picnic baskets and unattended campsites? Anyone who has watched an episode of Yogi Bear can see that the bears’ behavior goes far beyond the limits of what is natural. The thing which must be explored, then, is which of those

15 humorous antics were license on the part of HannaBarbera, and which were actually based on the bear’s normal behaviors. Remarkably enough, bears have been known to seek out food from some unlikely sources, including

20 picnic baskets, on top of their usual diet of berries, insects, and fish. Bears work throughout the summer and fall to build up fat stores so as to have energy enough to last them through their winter hibernations. Related to this is their need to replenish their depleted

25 reserves when they wake up in the spring. Food is generally scarce in the early spring, and consequently they will gladly indulge in any foods that are high in proteins or fats. This is the main reason for many incidents involving bears entering campsites in search of food.

30 Although this behavior may seem strange, it is no more than the result of nature equipping bears with a variety of traits that allow them to remain well fed in increasingly human-populated habitats. Specifically, the American black bear, Ursus americanus, has color

35 vision and has been observed by scientists using its color vision to distinguish between varying food items at close range. On top of this, all bears have an acute sense of smell and can use their especially sensitive lips to locate food. These sensory talents contribute to the

40 bears’ remarkably high intelligence and curiosity, giving them the ability to open closed containers if they believe food is inside. Their exploratory and navigational skills are also worthy of note—most bears will maintain vast territories in order to obtain food from

45 a variety of sources. Bears may even vary their sleep cycles in areas where there is a large degree of human activity, either feasting on road-side garbage during the day or scouring campsites for leftovers at night. Yet another strange but true comparison is that

50 Yogi and Boo-Boo have developed a social relationship much like the ones that will form between wild bears when several animals find themselves sharing a limited number of food sources. Generally solitary, black bears will create a hierarchical order in situations where paths

55 cross in pursuit of food, so as to assure that all animals remain adequately fed. While it is unlikely that any black bears in nature would actually send a cub after a camper’s lunch, the behavioral relationships that might inspire the creation of such a story are indeed real.

60 Though many of the features of the comical Yogi Bear are likely the result of pure imagination, there is scientific fact behind at least some of his activities. Despite his apperance as a brown bear, the distinctive feeding behaviors of the American black bear match

65 remarkably well with the habits of the cartoonish culprit. The uncanny truth behind little known scientific facts such as these should make everyone think twice the next time they sit down to watch Saturday morning cartoons.