Montana MAST Grade 4 ELA Practice Questions - Montana Aligned To Standards Through-Year Assessment English Language Arts - Grade 4 Exam

Read the passage below before answering the question. How the Bear Lost His Long Tail Long ago, Bear had a long, bushy tail that he was very proud of. One cold winter, Bear was hungry and could not find any fish. Fox, who was clever, had caught a pile of fish through a hole in the ice. Bear asked Fox how he caught so many fish. Fox grinned and said, 'I cut a hole in the ice, dropped my tail in, and waited. The fish grabbed on, and I pulled them out.' Bear wanted to try it himself. Fox showed Bear a hole in the frozen lake and told him to sit still and keep his tail in the water. Bear sat all night, growing colder and colder. By morning, his tail was frozen tight in the ice. When Bear stood up, his long tail snapped off and stayed in the ice. From that day on, bears have only short stumps for tails. Why does Fox tell Bear to put his tail in the ice hole?