Question

the following passage is about the atacama desert in chile. select the best evidence to support the statement that ocean temperatures can affect the amount of rainfall. one such stream is called the humboldt current, and thirteen million years ago it began rushing up from the antarctic along the pacific coast of south america. frigid water in the ocean means fewer clouds, less rain. and so, along that particular coast, the land turned extremely dry. in what is called the atacama desert it may not rain for three years, five years, even fifty years. we think of death valley as dry, but plants grow there. in the atacama there is just bare rock—except in that rare moment when the rain comes and the ground blushes purple with life. from marc aronson, trapped: how the world rescued 33 miners from 2,000 feet below the chilean desert. copyright 2011 by atheneum books for young readers

Explanation:

To support the statement that ocean temperatures affect rainfall, we look for a part of the passage that connects ocean temperature (via the Humboldt Current's frigid water) to rainfall. The sentence "Frigid water in the ocean means fewer clouds, less rain" directly links the cold ocean water (a temperature - related factor) to a decrease in clouds and rain, which is relevant to the statement. Also, the context about the Humboldt Current bringing frigid water and the resulting dryness in the Atacama Desert further supports this connection.

Answer:

"Frigid water in the ocean means fewer clouds, less rain. And so, along that particular coast, the land turned extremely dry. In what is called the Atacama Desert it may not rain for three years, five years, even fifty years." (This excerpt shows that the frigid water from the Humboldt Current leads to less rain, thus demonstrating that ocean temperatures affect rainfall.)