CR Answer Drill 4A 8MS4

5 10 15 20

Passage 1     Kneeling motionless on the ground, I watched as a husky eastern diamondback rattlesnake slid from my 5-gallon can into its winter home, a dark gopher tortoise burrow. "See you soon," I whispered, expecting to recapture this and eight other rattlesnakes I had recently caught, marked and released in the open pine forests of northern Florida. When I began my research, I was amazed at the dearth of scientific information on eastern diamondbacks. I have subsequently filled in many details of the life history of the species. I have discovered that this creature, long despised by people, is highly evolved, incredibly complex, and surprisingly gentle. Passage 2     Rattlesnakes have long held a mingled dread and fascination for Americans. In the Eastern part of the United States many American Indian tribes venerated them, referring to rattlesnakes as "Grandfather" and treating them with respect. The Colonialists did not follow suit. The "bellied viper" was one of the more sensational finds in the New World, and almost everyone agreed that the serpents were unspeakably evil, and should be killed on sight. Benjamin Franklin called rattlesnakes "Felons . . . from the Beginning of the World," but several Revolutionary War flags carried rattlers, including the famous Gadsden flag with its "Don't Tread on Me" warning to Great Britain.