Question

which supporting sentence would be best to add at the end of the first paragraph?
the following is a draft of a student essay. it may contain errors.

save the monarch
by maribel silva

(1) over the past 25 years, the monarch butterfly population has drastically declined by 90%. (2) we need to become citizen scientists here at wilson high school and do what we can to support and sustain the monarch population.

dropdown options:
like all pollinators, monarchs help pollinate plants while they sip the nectar from wildflowers.
according to conservationist groups, monarch population numbers are still on a downward trend.
monarch butterflies typically live just a few weeks after their metamorphosis from being a caterpillar.
monarch butterflies are orange and black, and they migrate southward to mexico for the winter.

(3) there are two main causes for this decline: weather and habitat in general. (6) habitat degradation, which is... (9) in developing suburbia, people in... (10) this leaves less to the one thing that a monarch butterfly needs to continue the life cycle: milkweed.

(11) unlike its name suggests, milkweed is not a weed. (12) rather, it is a flowering perennial plant that comes in several varieties in north america. (13) milkweed is the only thing that a monarch caterpillar will eat. (14) therefore, an adult female monarch butterfly will only lay an egg on a milkweed plant, so that a growing caterpillar will have a food source until it becomes a butterfly.

(15) there is a common saying among butterfly conservationists: no milkweed, no monarchs. (16) milkweed is disappearing in regions all across north america. (17) while existing ecosystems may be able to feed monarch butterflies through flowering plants that are not milkweed, they cannot support monarch caterpillars without milkweed.

(18) around our school and in our neighborhoods, we need to create creature - friendly habitat gardens with native plants instead of merely ornamental ones. (19) urban and suburban areas have ceased to be biologically diverse environments that support monarch butterflies. (20) together, we can change that—one plant at a time—by intentionally cultivating milkweed that thrives in this area, along with other plants that support butterflies. (21) we will play a part in the important mission of saving the monarch.

Explanation:

To determine the best supporting sentence, we analyze the context of the first paragraph. The first paragraph focuses on the decline of monarch butterflies and the need to act to support them. We need a sentence that either elaborates on the decline or the importance of monarchs to justify the call to action.

• The option "Like all pollinators, monarchs help pollinate plants while they sip the nectar from wildflowers" explains the ecological role of monarchs, which supports why we should save them, connecting to the call to action in sentence (2).
• "According to conservationist groups, monarch population numbers are still on a downward trend" repeats the decline info (already stated in sentence 1) and doesn't add new support for action.
• "Monarch butterflies typically live just a few weeks after their metamorphosis from being a caterpillar" is about their lifespan, not relevant to the need for action.
• "Monarch butterflies are orange and black, and they migrate southward to Mexico for the winter" is about appearance and migration, not supporting the need to save them.

So the best option is the one about their pollination role as it gives a reason to save them, aligning with the call to action.

Answer:

Like all pollinators, monarchs help pollinate plants while they sip the nectar from wildflowers.