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The Shark on the Motorway

7th grade reading

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The Shark on the Motorway

During a storm last spring, a photo exploded across social media. It showed a large shark swimming beside cars on a flooded motorway. Within hours it had been shared more than 80,000 times, often with captions such as "Stay indoors — sharks in the streets!" Fourteen-year-old Amira Haddad saw the photo in her family group chat. Something felt wrong. "The shark looked too sharp compared with the blurry water," she said. "So I decided to check." First, Amira ran a reverse image search. She found the same shark in a wildlife photo published years earlier, on a website about ocean animals. Next, she checked two local news sites. Neither mentioned sharks; both reported flooding and road closures. Finally, she found an article from a fact-checking organisation explaining that the image had been edited and had appeared during several different storms in different countries. Amira posted the fact-check in the group chat. "My uncle had already shared the photo," she laughed. "He was embarrassed, but he thanked me." Fact-checkers say edited images spread fastest when they are shocking and arrive during real emergencies, when people are anxious and want to warn others. Their advice is simple: pause before you share, look for the original source, and check whether reliable outlets are reporting the same thing.

  1. Question 1

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". What was the first step Amira took to check the photo?

    • A. a reverse image search
    • B. visiting the motorway
    • C. asking a teacher
    • D. calling her uncle

  2. Question 2

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". Which detail best shows the photo had been edited?

    • A. the same shark appeared in a wildlife photo published years earlier
    • B. it was shared more than 80,000 times
    • C. the water was blurry
    • D. her uncle shared it

  3. Question 3

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". How is paragraph 3 mainly organised?

    • A. as a comparison of two sharks
    • B. as a list of opinions
    • C. as a problem with no solution
    • D. as a sequence of steps (first, next, finally)

  4. Question 4

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". Why do edited images spread fastest during real emergencies, according to the article?

    • A. Phones work better in storms.
    • B. People are anxious and want to warn others, so they share without checking.
    • C. Fact-checkers are on holiday.
    • D. News sites stop working.

  5. Question 5

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". Which headline best fits this article?

    • A. Teen uses simple checks to expose viral storm photo
    • B. Uncle bans phones in family chat
    • C. Sharks invade city during storm
    • D. Social media to close after storm

  6. Question 6

    Read "The Shark on the Motorway". What is the writer's main purpose in the final paragraph?

    • A. to describe sharks
    • B. to give readers practical advice for checking images
    • C. to make readers afraid of storms
    • D. to criticise Amira's uncle

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Answer key: The Shark on the Motorway

  1. 1. A. a reverse image search

    • The answer is stated directly in the text.
    • Paragraph 3 begins: 'First, Amira ran a reverse image search.'
    • So the answer is: a reverse image search

  2. 2. A. the same shark appeared in a wildlife photo published years earlier

    • The best evidence directly supports the claim.
    • Finding the shark in an older, unrelated photo shows it was copied in.
    • So the answer is: the same shark appeared in a wildlife photo published years earlier

  3. 3. D. as a sequence of steps (first, next, finally)

    • Text structure is how a writer organises ideas.
    • Time words show the order of Amira's checks.
    • So the answer is: as a sequence of steps (first, next, finally)

  4. 4. B. People are anxious and want to warn others, so they share without checking.

    • An inference combines clues in the text with what you know.
    • The last paragraph links anxiety and the wish to warn others to fast sharing.
    • So the answer is: People are anxious and want to warn others, so they share without checking.

  5. 5. A. Teen uses simple checks to expose viral storm photo

    • The main idea covers the whole text; details only cover a part.
    • It summarises what actually happened without exaggeration.
    • So the answer is: Teen uses simple checks to expose viral storm photo

  6. 6. B. to give readers practical advice for checking images

    • The writer's choices show their purpose.
    • It explains why fakes spread and gives three clear steps.
    • So the answer is: to give readers practical advice for checking images