Question

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

from tracks and shadows

1
rainforests are dimly lit and exceptionally diverse—claustrophobically dark and fecund¹—so no wonder tropical biologists end up puzzling over existential questions. at la selva biological station in costa rica, giant trees with buttressed trunks tower overhead, obscuring the sky, and every glimpse holds the vibrant greens and somber browns of plants and their decaying remnants. after a torrential shower the air reverberates with the buzzes, whines, and clicks of insects. mantled howler monkeys sound off in the distance. all around us leaf litter reeks from the chemical adventures of microbes, and over the course of hours my puny primate nose wrinkles toward some collared peccaries,² then heaps of rotting fruit and a pile of cat droppings. rounding a trail curve i’m baffled by a shimmering lavender stripe, dozens of yards long and a half-inch tall; then i drop to my knees and contemplate thousands of leaf-cutter ants, each carrying a single delicate flower petal. and from time to time, slogging along the muddy paths, i imagine being overgrown by mosses and fungi, or devoured by spike-headed katydids³ the size of small mice.

2
setting aside matters of life and death for the moment, what do ecologists mean by “exceptionally diverse,” and why might anyone care? a comparison among some familiar places illustrates how numbers of species increase toward the equator, culminating in unparalleled tropical richness. california reaches from death valley’s floor to mount whitney’s 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 selva’s 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...

this question has two parts. answer part a, and then answer part b.

part a
what is the author’s main point of view about rainforests?

1. rainforests are more valuable than other geographical regions.
2. rainforests are endlessly fascinating because of the abundance of species.
3. rainforests lead scientists to ponder the answers to unanswered questions.
4. rainforests help people understand the long-term effects of geological change.

part b
which aspect of the passage best reinforces the correct point of view from part a?

1. in paragraph 1, the author recalls some surprising features of plant and animal life in rainforests.
2. in paragraph 3, the author explains why the broadest assortment of plant and animal life is...

Explanation:

Part A

• Option 1: The passage doesn't compare rainforests' value to other regions, so eliminate.
• Option 2: The passage emphasizes rainforests' diversity (abundance of species) and how it makes them fascinating (e.g., various plants, insects, animals, and the author's wonder at these). This matches.
• Option 3: The passage says tropical biologists "puzzle over existential questions" but not that rainforests lead to answering unanswered questions, so eliminate.
• Option 4: The passage doesn't discuss geological change, so eliminate.

• Option 1: Paragraph 1 describes surprising plant and animal life (e.g., leaf - cutter ants, mantled howler monkeys, various smells and sights) which shows the diversity (abundance of species) that makes rainforests fascinating, reinforcing Part A's answer.
• Option 2: The option text is incomplete, and from what's visible, it doesn't seem to match as well as Option 1. Also, Paragraph 1's descriptions of diverse life forms directly support the idea of abundance of species making rainforests fascinating.

Answer:

1. Rainforests are endlessly fascinating because of the abundance of species.

Part B