How Do Volcanoes Erupt?
An information text about why volcanoes erupt, with eight questions on facts, word meanings, inference and summary.
Read the passage
Rock beneath our feet
The ground we walk on is part of the Earth’s crust, a thin layer of solid rock. Beneath the crust lies the mantle, where it is so hot that some of the rock has melted. This molten rock is called magma. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it slowly rises towards the surface. Over thousands of years, it can travel a very long way through tiny gaps and cracks.
Pressure builds
Magma collects in huge chambers deep underground. It contains dissolved gases, which are trapped in much the same way as the bubbles in a bottle of fizzy drink. As more magma gathers, the pressure inside the chamber grows. Eventually the pressure becomes too great, and the magma forces its way upwards through cracks in the rock.
The eruption
When the magma reaches the surface through an opening called a vent, an eruption begins. At this point the magma is known as lava. Some eruptions are gentle, and the lava simply flows slowly down the sides of the volcano. Others are violent. They throw ash, gas and fragments of rock high into the air. In 79 CE, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy buried the Roman town of Pompeii under ash.
Living with volcanoes
Although volcanoes are dangerous, millions of people live near them. The ash from old eruptions breaks down into very fertile soil, which is excellent for growing crops. Scientists also monitor volcanoes carefully. They use instruments to detect small earthquakes and changes in the shape of the ground, which can warn that an eruption may be coming. This gives people time to leave their homes and move to safety.
Answer the questions
- What is the name for melted rock that is still underground? (1 mark)
- What is the opening called that magma erupts through? (1 mark)
- Find and copy one word from the final section that means “able to grow plants well”. (1 mark)
- Why does magma slowly rise towards the surface? (1 mark)
- The writer compares the trapped gases in magma to a bottle of fizzy drink. What does this comparison help the reader to understand? (2 marks)
- Why do you think some people choose to live near volcanoes, even though they are dangerous? (2 marks)
- Number these events 1 to 4 in the order they happen. (2 marks)• Magma reaches the surface through a vent.• Magma rises from the mantle.• Pressure inside the chamber grows.• Magma gathers in a huge chamber.
- Write two or three sentences to sum up why a volcano erupts. (3 marks)
Answer key for parents and teachers
1. Magma. (1 mark)
Finding information (2b). A key term that is defined in the first section.
2. A vent. (1 mark)
Finding information (2b). Finding a specific word in the third section.
3. fertile (1 mark)
Word meaning (2a). Matching a word to its meaning, using the section heading to find the right place.
4. It is lighter than the solid rock around it. (1 mark)
Explaining from the text. A cause stated in the first section that the child puts in their own words.
5. That gases are squashed in under pressure and can burst out suddenly, just as bubbles do when a fizzy drink is opened. (2 marks)
Explaining from the text. A comparison makes a hard idea easier to picture, and the child explains how.
6. The soil is fertile so crops grow well, and scientists can warn them if an eruption may be coming (use evidence from the last section). (2 marks)
Inference (2d). The child uses evidence from the text to explain a surprising choice.
7. 1. Magma rises from the mantle. 2. Magma gathers in a huge chamber. 3. Pressure inside the chamber grows. 4. Magma reaches the surface through a vent. (2 marks)
Sequencing events. Sequencing shows the child has followed the whole process.
8. Magma rises and collects in a chamber (1). Gas trapped in the magma builds up pressure (1). When the pressure is too great, the magma is forced to the surface and erupts as lava, ash and gas (1). (3 marks)
Summarising (2c). Picking out the main steps of an explanation and putting them in a short answer is the skill of summarising.
What this practises
Finding information (2b), Word meaning (2a), Explaining from the text, Inference (2d), Sequencing events, Summarising (2c). The codes in brackets are the reading content domains from the national curriculum test framework. Marks and answers are a guide: accept any sensible answer that is backed up by the text.
Now try the writing task
Imagine you are a scientist watching a volcano. Write a report for the villagers explaining the warning signs.
Aim for eight to twelve sentences. Read it back aloud together and fix anything that does not sound right.
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Free to print and copy for your own family or classroom. Please do not sell or republish. The passage and questions were written for LiteracyLab AI.