Question

section: understanding our environment
read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
the agricultural revolution allowed human populations to grow
at an unprecedented rate. an area of land can support up to 500
times as many people by farming as it can by hunting and gath-
ering. as populations grew, they began to concentrate in
smaller areas. these changes placed increased pressure on
local environments.

the agricultural revolution also changed the food we eat.
the plants we grow and eat today are descended from wild
plants. during harvest season, farmers collected seeds from
plants that exhibited the qualities they desired. the seeds of
plants with large kernels or sweet and nutritious flesh were
planted and harvested again. over the course of many genera-
tions, the domesticated plants became very different from their
wild ancestors.

identifying main ideas
one reading skill is the ability to identify the main idea of a passage. the main
idea is the main focus or key idea. frequently a main idea is accompanied by sup-
porting information that offers detailed facts about main ideas.

read the question and write the answer in the space provided.

1. why did populations concentrate in smaller areas during the agricultural

revolution?

in the space provided, write the letter of the term or phrase that best answers the
question.

1. which of the following best describes the theme of the passage?

a. the agricultural revolution changed human food preferences.
b. some plants today are similar to their ancestors.
c. farming replaced hunting and gathering.
d. agricultural communities developed from hunter - gatherer communi-
ties, and the practice of agriculture introduced new environmental
problems.

Explanation:

Question 1

To answer this, we refer to the passage. The first paragraph states that the agricultural revolution allowed human populations to grow at an unprecedented rate, and an area of land can support up to 500 times as many people by farming as by hunting and gathering. As populations grew, they began to concentrate in smaller areas. So the reason is that farming (from the agricultural revolution) allowed land to support far more people, leading to population growth and then concentration in smaller areas.

• Option a: The passage does talk about changes in food, but that's only part of it. The main theme is broader, about the agricultural revolution's impact on population and environment, so a is incorrect.
• Option b: The passage says domesticated plants became very different from their wild ancestors, so b is incorrect.
• Option c: The passage mentions farming is more efficient, but the theme isn't just about farming replacing hunting - gathering. It's about the broader impacts of the agricultural revolution, so c is incorrect.
• Option d: The passage talks about how the agricultural revolution led to population growth and concentration (development of agricultural communities from hunter - gatherer ones) and increased pressure on local environments (new environmental problems). This covers the main points of the passage.

Answer:

Because the agricultural revolution allowed human populations to grow at an unprecedented rate (an area of land can support up to 500 times as many people by farming as by hunting and gathering), and as populations grew, they began to concentrate in smaller areas.

Question 2