Question

read the passage(s) below and answer the question based on what is stated or implied in the passage(s) and in any introductory material that may be provided. passage if plants seem silent to us, its only because were oblivious to their chatter - we are just beginning to tap into their cryptograms. plants emit codes into the air all the time, helping them defend against insects and other threats, and in some instances serving as warnings to their neighbors. moreover, plants can send \sos\ calls for rescue missions and summon predators to feed on insect invaders. plants speak in chemical codes - carbon - containing molecules called volatile organic compounds (vocs). characterized by the ease with which they enter the air, vocs are a diverse group: plants alone make more than 30,000 varieties. some vocs produce familiar herbal or flower smells. others are released only in response to a specific cue. within seconds of being damaged, plants send out green leaf volatiles (glvs), which we can detect too - for example, as the smell of a newly mown lawn. from elizabeth preston, \learning to speak shrub,\ ©2013 by nautilus. question the passages references to \cryptograms,\ \codes,\ and \sos calls\ in the first paragraph primarily serve to provide an example that illustrates how one particular plant species releases an herbal scent to attract a certain species of insect create a sense of excitement about the recent discovery that as many as 30,000 varieties of plants emit volatile organic compounds develop an extended metaphor that compares plants communication through the release of vocs to encoded communication systems used by humans establish a contrast between the way plants communicate distress signals to their neighbors and the way they communicate warnings to their predators

Explanation:

The terms "cryptograms", "codes", and "SOS' calls" are used to draw an analogy between how plants communicate via volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and human - like encoded communication systems. It's an extended metaphor to make the concept more relatable and understandable.

Answer:

develop an extended metaphor that compares plants' communication through the release of VOCs to encoded communication systems used by humans