Changes in Biodiversity

What does biodiversity refer to?

• Chemical replants that are used to get rid of bugs

• The scientific study of an ecosystem

• The variety of plant and animal life in an environment.

• The large population of salmon that live near Seattle

What does the author explain in the passage?

• The author explains the terms “biodiversity” and “ecosystem,” giving examples of each.

• The author explains the terms “tribe” and “Native Americans” without giving any examples.

• The author explains the terms “pod,” “school,” and “wetlands,” giving two examples of each.

• The author explains the terms “nourishment” and “chemical” without giving any examples.

Changing one part of an ecosystem can affect other parts of the environment where the change is made. What evidence from the passage supports this statement?

• Native Americans who lived in what is now known as the Midwest hunted large animals like bison.

• Tribes who lived in the deserts of what is now Arizona built homes in the rocky cliffs and hills.

• When American farmers began using pesticide to harm bugs, they harmed humans as well.

• Tribes on the West Coast of North America fished salmon, while tribes on the East Coast caught crabs and lobsters

Based on the information in the passage, what can the reader conclude about biodiversity?

• There was very little biodiversity in North America before it was split up into states and countries.

• There was a lot of biodiversity in North America before it was split up into states and countries.

• Biodiversity cannot be affected by human activity.

• Biodiversity cannot be affected by changes to the ecosystem.

What is this passage mainly about?

• Different Native American tribes and the ways in which they obtained food

• Natural environments and the way changes can affect those environments.

• Pesticides used by farmers and the harmful effects of those pesticides on humans.

• A pod of whales that cannot go to its usual feeding area in Alaska because of sharks.

Read the following sentences: “An ecosystem is a very complex and delicate arrangement of plants and animals that provide nourishment for each other in a variety of ways. If one part of the ecosystem changes or is disrupted, it can affect the entire workings and environment.”

What does the word environment mean?

• A species of plans or animal

• A group of Native Americans living in the same place

• The damage that humans can do to their surroundings

• An area where things live.

Which of the following statements from the text represents best the main idea?

• As you can see, even though each group relied on seafood, the type of fish they ate was dependent on the type of fish that was available to them.

• Each Native American tribe was attuned to the specific land on which they lived, and had certain customs that utilized their land to the utmost.

• As you can see, the changes that humans made in the ecosystem—the biodiversity that the humans cut down on by making sure the insects left the plants alone—needed to be studied carefully so that the changes made were sure to be beneficial.

• An ecosystem is a very complex and delicate arrangement of plants and animals that provide nourishment for each other in a variety of ways. If one part of the ecosystem changes or is disrupted, it can affect the entire workings of an environment.

If you were writing a report about the migration patterns of aquatic life, which of the following statements might you use in your report?

• Other tribes who lived on the eastern coast of North America made extensive use of the forests there, trapping small animals and game (like deer) that lived among the trees, and farming hearty foods that could handle the changes in weather, like corn.

• The tribes who lived in what is no known as Seattle fished salmon, while the tribes who lived in what is now known as Maine caught crabs and lobsters.

• Let’s say one year, a pod of whales was unable to go to their usual feeding area in Alaska because a school of sharks was inhabiting those waters during the whale’s feeding time. So, looking for other sources of food, the whales swam down toward Seattle and noticed a large population of salmon.

• When American farmers began using pesticides (chemical insect-repellants) to get rid of bugs that decimated entire harvests of crops, they had no idea what the consequences would be—or whether there would be any consequences.

The purpose of this selection is to—

• Tell a story about a family of whales searching for food.

• Explain how humans nearly destroyed mankind through use of strong pesticides.

• Convince readers to not use pesticides in gardens and farms.

• Explain how delicate the ecosystem is and how minor changes affect large groups.

Which of the following conclusions would be an overstatement concerning the text?

• Hungry whales would wipe out the salmon population and therefore destroy the human population that normally eats salmon.

• Using pesticides can have adverse effects on humans and animals, so we have to be careful with the chemicals used on farms and gardens.

• Native America tribes traveled a lot in order to find enough food to sustain their populations.

• Native American tribes living in what is now the Blue Ridge Mountains would have survived off of deer as it was prevalent in the mountains.