Question

part a: which statement best identifies one of the central ideas of the text? a. the earths natural elements and distance from the sun allow humans and animals to live successfully on earth. b. scientists observations of earth show that the planet may be habitable for humans in the future. c. the earths placement in the universe guarantees that humans will always be able to live comfortably there. d. scientists understanding of earths makeup and movements is still limited, but it is becoming more advanced through satellites. part b: which detail from the text best supports the answer to part a? a. earth is the only planet known to have large amounts of liquid water. liquid water is essential for life. earth is the only planet where life is known to exist. (paragraph 3) b. earth has seasons because its axis is tilted. thus, the suns rays hit different parts of the planet more directly depending on the time of year. (paragraph 9) c. earths parts once were seen as largely separate from each other. but now they are viewed together as the earth system. (paragraph 16) d. nasa studies earth to learn about how the planet changes. earths parts - land, air, water and life - are always changing. some of the changes are natural and some are caused by humans. (paragraph 18)

Explanation:

For Part A, the text emphasizes that Earth is known as the only planet with large amounts of liquid water which is essential for life, matching option A. For Part B, the text mentions that scientists' understanding of Earth's makeup and movements is still limited despite advancements through satellites, which aligns with option D.

Answer:

1. A. Earth is the only planet known to have large amounts of liquid water. Liquid water is essential for life. Earth is the only planet where life is known to exist.
2. D. Scientists' understanding of Earth's makeup and movements is still limited, but it is becoming more advanced through satellites.