Question

the surface of the earth may seem very still to you... the things that were going on under that surface.
the earth has an outer shell of rigid pieces called tectonic plates. the plates include both ocean floor and dry land. some have whole continents on top. these plates are estimated to be about six to ten miles thick under the oceans and as much as 120 miles thick under some continents. the continents on top of the plates are just going along for a slow ride, moving only about four inches per year. but even this small movement causes three types of big interactions.
one type is ocean ridges. these ridges develop in places where two plates are moving away from each other. as the plates separate, hot magma flows up to fill the space. new crust builds up on the plate boundaries and causes ocean ridges. these ridges form long mountain ranges, which only rise above the ocean surface in a few places.
another type of reaction—trenches – occurs between two plates that are moving toward each other. as the plates meet, one bends downward and plunges underneath the other. this forms deep ocean trenches. the marianas trench off guam in the western pacific ocean has a depth of more than 36,000 feet. this is the lowest point on the ocean floor. if the leading edges of the two colliding plates carry continents, then the layers of rock in the overriding plate crumple and fold. a plate that carried what is now india collided with the southern edge of the plate that carried europe and most of asia. this caused the himalayas, the worlds highest mountains.
the third reaction is transform faults. these faults occur where two plates that are traveling in opposite directions slide past each other. severe earthquakes can occur. the san andreas fault in california is a good example of this type of movement.

1. this passage is mostly about

a. effects of movements of the earths plates.
b. types of continents.
c. the marianas trench.
d. transform faults.
fault is an example of

Explanation:

The passage explains tectonic plates' movement and the three interactions (ocean ridges, trenches, transform faults) caused by it. Option a matches as it's about movement effects. Option b is wrong (no continent types). Option c is a detail, not main. Option d is one interaction, not main.

Answer:

a. effects of movements of the earth's plates