Question

racing the clock to stem the spread of the mountain pine beetle
by korey morgan
office of communication, usda forest service
may 11, 2021
(1) in the summer of 2019, forest service entomologist amy lockner made her way along the taylor canyon road toward gunnison, colorado, a small mountain town situated in a valley often referred to as the \gateway to the rockies.\
(2) as she drove down the winding canyon road flanked by pine trees, her gaze caught a subtle inconsistency in the forest canopy that other travelers would not have noticed. what caught lockners eye was a group of lodgepole pines beginning to fade and discolor.
(3) the sudden realization hit her like a thunderclap. years of experience studying insect species and their effect on the environment trained her to look out for the tell-tale signs of mountain pine beetles. she took note of the spot, turned off the main road, and immediately looked for a nearby landowner to get permission to collect samples.
(4) \i knew that given the size and age class of the lodgepole pine on the hillside, it had to be mountain pine beetle,\ said lockner. \this is the same species that had killed so many millions of acres in colorado several years before, and i was overwhelmed. i knew i needed to act fast, especially if we had any chance of slowing it down.\
(5) mountain pine beetles burrow into pine trees to lay eggs. once the eggs hatch, the offspring feed on the living tree from the inside. over just a few weeks, the larvae destroy the trees vital systems. after several months, the tree turns red and brown as it dies. the cycle takes just one year, and the newly formed beetle is off to find their next host and begin it all again.
(6) as the population of beetles grows from an outbreak to an epidemic, they spread across tens of thousands of trees and cause mass death.
9
select the correct answer.
what is the central idea of the passage?
a. the wilder-highlands project will continue to be a successful model of stewardship for all other forest health projects in the country.
b. entomologist amy lockner has years of experience studying and identifying the damaging impact of the mountain pine beetles on forests.
c. the lodgepole pine will be wiped out by the mountain pine beetles unless multiple organizations work together to stop the infestation quickly.
d. the colorado forest service and the forest service are trying to remove the dead, dying, and at-risk trees from the outbreak areas in gunnison.

Explanation:

The passage focuses on the mountain pine beetle's threat to lodgepole pines, starting with the entomologist's detection of infestation signs, the beetle's destructive cycle, and the urgency of acting fast to slow their spread. Option A is incorrect as the Wilder-Highlands project is not mentioned. Option B is a supporting detail, not the central idea. Option D is too narrow; tree removal is not the core focus, but rather the broader threat and need for collective action to stop the beetles from wiping out the pines.

Answer:

C. The lodgepole pine will be wiped out by the mountain pine beetles unless multiple organizations work together to stop the infestation quickly.