Question

read the passage. there are several questions about this passage.

california reaches from death valleys floor to mount whitneys summit,
spans parched salt flats to drenched redwood groves, and yet across
ten degrees of latitude boasts only thirty - five species of snakes. almost twice
that number occur in la selvas five square miles, as if a house full of
serpents were packed into a thimble, and there are nearly
four hundred species of birds, more than half as many as in the continental
united states. tropical faunas encompass more lifestyles too, thanks to
rampant adaptive diversification; most temperate bats feed on insects, for
example, whereas some of their hothouse relatives specialize on fruit,
nectar, fish, frogs, or birds.

3

this dramatic global variation has long intrigued naturalists, and its
causes are partly understood. rainforests usually occupy middle latitudes,
so earth’s most biologically opulent regions are hot and wet. some of them
have been that way for millions of years, during which rising seas and
tectonic events fragmented landscapes, catalyzing the origin of new species.
more land, more sun, and more rain, coupled with geographical isolation
and geological time, have fostered plant evolution—and thereby more
plant - eating insects, insect - eating frogs, frog - eating snakes, and birds and
mammals that eat them all. at local scales earthquakes, volcanoes, and
windstorms annihilate chunks of habitat, which are then colonized by
species that live in the resulting light gaps. those sun - loving newcomers are
eventually replaced by shade - tolerant species, so that natural disturbances
further increase diversity by generating patchworks of succession in what at
first glance appears to be unbroken forest.”

4

tropical biotas are also among the most endangered anywhere, their
most charismatic inhabitants often difficult to find. ecotourists adore
emerald - and - red quetzals and iridescent blue morphos, and with coaching
they might tolerate the jararaca pitvipers whose venom chemistry inspired a
popular blood pressure drug. predators are usually tough to see, though.

\those sun - loving newcomers are eventually replaced by shade - tolerant species, so that natural disturbances further increase diversity by generating patchworks of succession in what at first glance appears to be unbroken forest.\ (paragraph 3)

what does the phrase patchworks of succession mean in the sentence?

1. dim parts of the rainforest that are the most

dense and least sunny

1. hidden places in the rainforest that are

difficult to locate and observe

1. small sections of the rainforest where the

largest numbers of species live

1. random areas in the rainforest where

changing conditions promote new growth

part b
which excerpt from paragraph 3 best supports the
correct answer from part a?

1. \more land, more sun, and more rain\

1. \geographical isolation and geological time\

Explanation:

Part A

To understand "patchworks of succession", we analyze the context. The passage says natural disturbances (earthquakes, volcanoes, windstorms) annihilate habitat chunks, which are colonized by sun - loving species, then replaced by shade - tolerant ones. This process of changing growth (succession) happens in small areas (patchworks) of the forest.

• Option 1: Talks about dim, dense, least sunny parts, not related to succession.
• Option 2: Talks about hidden places, not about succession or growth change.
• Option 3: Talks about areas with most species, but the passage is about succession (change in species over time in areas), not about species density.
• Option 4: "Random areas in the rainforest where changing conditions promote new growth" matches the idea of natural disturbances creating areas where species change (succession) occurs as new growth is promoted (first sun - loving, then shade - tolerant).

We need to find the excerpt that supports the answer in Part A (about areas with changing conditions promoting new growth).

• Option 1: "More land, more sun, and more rain" is about factors fostering plant evolution at a large scale, not about the small - scale disturbance - driven succession areas.
• Option 2: "geographical isolation and geological time" is about large - scale factors for species origin, not about the small - scale succession patches. Wait, let's re - check. Wait, the relevant part for Part A's answer is about disturbances (earthquakes, volcanoes, windstorms) creating light gaps, then succession. But among the given options, maybe there's a mis - check. Wait, the original passage's Part B options: Wait, maybe I missed. Wait, the user's Part B options: 1. "More land, more sun, and more rain" 2. Wait, maybe the user's Part B options are incomplete? Wait, no, looking back, the user's Part B has two options? Wait, no, the original image: Wait, maybe the user's Part B options are: 1. "More land, more sun, and more rain" 2. "geographical isolation and geological time" 3. Wait, no, the user's Part B as per the text: "Which excerpt from paragraph 3 best supports the correct answer from Part A? 1. 'More land, more sun, and more rain' 2. 'geographical isolation and geological time'". Wait, but that doesn't seem right. Wait, maybe the correct supporting excerpt should be about the disturbances and succession. But since the given options are these two, maybe there's a mistake. Wait, no, maybe I misread. Wait, the passage's paragraph 3: "At local scales earthquakes, volcanoes, and windstorms annihilate chunks of habitat, which are then colonized by species that live in the resulting light gaps. Those sun - loving newcomers are eventually replaced by shade - tolerant species, so that natural disturbances further increase diversity by generating patchworks of succession...". But the given options for Part B are 1 and 2. Wait, maybe the user made a typo. But assuming the options are as given, let's re - evaluate. Wait, the answer in Part A is about areas with changing conditions (due to disturbances) promoting new growth. The process of succession (new growth) is related to the disturbances. But the given options don't have the relevant part. Wait, maybe the user's Part B options are different. Wait, no, the user's text: "Part B Which excerpt from paragraph 3 best supports the correct answer from Part A? 1. 'More land, more sun, and more rain' 2. 'geographical isolation and geological time'". This seems odd. But maybe there's a mistake. Alternatively, maybe the correct option is none, but since we have to choose from the given, maybe the intended answer is related to the factors that lead to succession. Wait, no. Alternatively, maybe the user's Part B options are incomplete. But based on the given, let's assume. Wait, the answer in Part A is about areas where changing conditions (disturbances) promote new growth. The excerpt "At local scales earthquakes, volcanoes, and windstorms annihilate chunks of habitat, which are then colonized by species that live in the resulting light gaps..." would support it, but since that's not an option, maybe the user made a mistake. But among the given options, maybe there's a mis - print. Alternatively, maybe the correct option is not among them, but since we have to choose, let's re - check. Wait, the Part A answer is about changing conditions promoting new growth. The option 1: "More land, more sun, and more rain" are factors that foster plant evolution, which leads to more species, but not direc…

Answer:

1. random areas in the rainforest where changing conditions promote new growth

Part B