Question

use the text to compare and contrast the mississippi river and the missouri river.

the two longest rivers in the united states both share their name with a state. the longest, the missouri river, is over two thousand miles long. the mississippi, the second longest, also travels over two thousand miles. the rivers run in different directions. the missouri flows from west to east and the mississippi from north to south. the missouri flows eastward until it meets the mississippi. by contrast, the mississippi flows down the center of the u.s. together, the two rivers can carry a boat from montana to louisiana.

	the mississippi river	the missouri river
runs west to east
flows down the center of the u.s.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the text and match the descriptions to each river:

For "Over two thousand miles long":

• The text says "The longest, the Missouri River, is over two thousand miles long. The Mississippi, the second longest, also travels over two thousand miles." So both rivers are over two thousand miles long.

For "Runs west to east":

• The text states "The Missouri flows from west to east and the Mississippi from north to south." So only the Missouri River runs west to east.

For "Flows down the center of the U.S.":

• The text says "By contrast, the Mississippi flows down the center of the U.S." So only the Mississippi River flows down the center of the U.S.

	The Mississippi River	The Missouri River
Runs west to east	❌	✔️
Flows down the center of the U.S.	✔️	❌

Answer:

To solve this, we analyze the text and match the descriptions to each river:

For "Over two thousand miles long":

• The text says "The longest, the Missouri River, is over two thousand miles long. The Mississippi, the second longest, also travels over two thousand miles." So both rivers are over two thousand miles long.

For "Runs west to east":

• The text states "The Missouri flows from west to east and the Mississippi from north to south." So only the Missouri River runs west to east.

For "Flows down the center of the U.S.":

• The text says "By contrast, the Mississippi flows down the center of the U.S." So only the Mississippi River flows down the center of the U.S.

	The Mississippi River	The Missouri River
Runs west to east	❌	✔️
Flows down the center of the U.S.	✔️	❌