Question

grade 8 unit 1 the mystery and wonder of science read the passage and answer the questions. the mystery and wonder of science 1. on the eastern coast of ireland, that faces the far - off shores of scotland, tourists flock to see a strange natural wonder. there, 40,000 massive black columns stick out of the sea in unusual shapes, similar to hexagons. the structure looks exactly like a road trailing off into the ocean. ancient people thought that surely such regularly shaped stones could only be the work of human - like hands. as a result, a popular myth explains that giants causeway was built by irish giant finn maccool in order to meet a scottish giant who had challenged him in battle. 2. while such myths make for romantic tales, only science can explain the mystery behind such natural wonders. for years, scientists have argued that the causeway was a natural formation caused by volcanic activity. however, they were unable to reproduce these eerie columns that look like cut stones in order to prove their theories. 3. recently, scientist yan lavallee created special equipment to hold these part b. what phrase in the passage provides a clue to the meaning of basalt? o “a road trailing off into the ocean” (paragraph 1) o “a scorching 840 - 890 degrees celsius.” (paragraph 5) o “magnified images of familiar columns” (paragraph 7) o “eerie, black rocks surrounding a volcanic crater” (paragraph 7)

Explanation:

Basalt is a volcanic rock. The description "a road trailing off into the ocean" in paragraph 1 gives a visual - like description of the basalt columns which are formed by volcanic activity, similar to how basalt is created in volcanic processes. The other options do not relate to the nature of basalt as a volcanic - formed rock.

Answer:

a road trailing off into the ocean (paragraph 1)