Schema

.... and sometimes reading comprehension really is about background knowledge. Yo, teachers, try to make sure your students do something besides &(&* word searches in that "science" class, okay?
Student is stuck on the meaning of "protective coloration." The paragraph says that mice, lizards & arthropods that live on sand are often tan colored. What could color protect them from? If you think that the hazards living in the sand are heat and poisons, "protective coloration" isn't going to mean much. You have to already know about those predator things (even if you don't call them that), which of course you don't learn about in everyday life in Chicago; it would require... oh, an education. (I'm not going to *assume* anything here; however, I've seen the busy work factories that pass for classes sometimes and figure odds are reasonably good I'm looking at the results.)