The Western Jackdaw (Corvus Monedula), Sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw

Reading Passage Question

The Western Jackdaw (Corvus monedula), sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw, European Jackdaw or simply Jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, it is mostly resident, although northern and Eastern populations migrate south in winter. Four subspecies are recognized, which mainly differ in the coloration of the plumage on the head and nape. Carl Linnaeus first classified the bird and described it formally, giving it the name Corvus monedula because of the bird’s supposed fondness for picking up coins (monedula is Latin for money). Later analysis of its DNA suggests that, with its closest relative, the Darian Jackdaw, it is an early offshoot from the genus Corvus, and possibly distinct enough to warrant reclassification in a separate genus, Coloeus. In fact, one authority, the International Ornithological Congress, has recently reassigned the two jackdaw species from the genus Corvus to the genus Coloeus.

Unlike many of its close relatives, the Western Jackdaw has a completely black-plumage with a grey nape and distinctive pale-grey irises. However, like those relatives, it is gregarious and vocal, living in small groups with a complex social structure in farmland, open woodland, on coastal cliffs, and in urban settings. An omnivorous and opportunistic feeder, it eats a wide variety of plant material and invertebrates, as well as food waste from urban areas. Western Jackdaws are monogamous (have only one mate at a time) and build simple nests of sticks in cavities in trees, cliffs, or buildings. About five pale blue or blue-green eggs with brown speckles are laid and incubated by the female. The young fledge (leave the nest) in four to five weeks, sooner than other jackdaws, and the average lifespan of the bird is approximately five years compared.

‘The Western Jackdaw (Corvus monedula), sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw’ is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 4 comprehension questions.

The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the Darian Jackdaw?

(A) It is classified in the wrong genus
(B) It has a fondness for picking up coins
(C) It does not have black plumage
(D) It is found commonly in small groups
(E) It is a monogamous bird

2.  According to the passage, a Western Jackdaw found in the Southern Hemisphere during the winter months would most likely ______________

(A) live in the easternmost portion of the bird’s habitat
(B) have migrated from another locatio
(C) have plumage with an unusual coloration
(D) have a greater life expectancy than most jackdaws
(E) have travelled a great distance from its usual habitat

3. Which of the following can be properly inferred from the passage above?

(A) The Western Jackdaw eats more plant material and invertebrates than human food waste.
(B) The Western Jackdaw belongs to the genus Coloeus.
(C) The Western Jackdaw has only one mate throughout its lifespan.
(D) The Western Jackdaw is able to fly sooner than its close relatives.
(E) The Western Jackdaw is more social than its close relatives.

4. Which of the following can properly be inferred about Carl Linnaeus from the passage above?

(A) He was the first to discover the Western Jackdaw.
(B) He believed that the Western Jackdaw was fond of coins.
(C) His classification of the Western Jackdaw was wrong.
(D) His prior classifications do not always agree with current DNA data.
(E) He was a member of the International Ornithological Congress.

Suggested GMAT Reading Comprehension Questions

• The Origin of the Attempt to Distinguish Early from Modern Music
• Even More Than Mountainside Slides of Mud or Snow, Naturally Occurring Forest Fires Promote the Survival of Aspen Trees.
• The Black Death, a Severe Epidemic that Ravaged Fourteenth Century Europe
• A One-Child Policy was Implemented in China in 1979
• The Phenomenon of College Basketball's Surging Popularity Remains a Challenge to Classify
• The United States Government has a Long-Standing Policy of Using Federal Funds to Keep Small Business Viable.
• A Recent Study has Provided Clues to Predator-Prey Dynamics in the Late Pleistocene Era.
• Seeking a Competitive Advantage, Some Professional Service Firms
• On the surface, the Conquest of the Aztec Empire by Herman Cortes
• But Man is Not Destined to Vanish. He can be Killed, but he cannot be Destroyed, Because his Soul is Deathless and his Spirit is Irrepressible.
• When Literary Periods are Defined on the Basis of Men’s Writing, Women’s Writing Must be Forcibly Assimilated
• Behind Every Book Review There are Two Key Figures: A Book Review Editor and A Reviewer.
• Barbara Strozzi was a Singer and Composer of Madrigals, Aria
• During the Victorian Period, Women Writers were Measured Against A Social
• It Is Perhaps Not Surprising that Debate has Arisen Over Bioluminescence-Based Biotechnologies
• The Fact that Superior Service can Generate a Competitive Advantage
• The System of Patent-Granting, Which Confers Temporary Monopolies for the Exploitation of New Technologies
• Ethnohistoric Documents from Sixteenth-Century Mexico Suggesting that Weaving and Cooking were the Most Common Productive Activities for Aztec Women
• Solar Ponds are Bodies of Water in Which Circulation is Incomplete and There is a Very High Salt Concentration that Increases with Depth
• Traditional Social Science Models of Class Groups in the United States are Based on Economic Status