Benchmark Unit 3.1 - The Past and Future of a Crop, p. 6-9

Part A: Which sentence best states a main idea of the passage?

• Plants use photosynthesis to make their own food.

• Corn has been an important crop for food and energy, but its use as a biofuel is debated.

• Ethanol is a cleaner fuel than gasoline.

• Early humans learned to grow corn for better traits.

Part B: Which detail from the passage supports the main idea from Part A?

• Plants use the sun’s energy to make food through a chemical process known as photosynthesis.

• In the United States, the issue of how corn crops are used has become a public debate.

• The tassel grows from the top of the plant after all the leaves have sprouted.

• Corn is a tall, green, leafy plant most often supported by a single stem, or stalk.

Which sentence from the passage most clearly shows an objective point of view?

• Ethanol is not the perfect energy source some would have us believe.

• Corn is a major crop used to feed humans and livestock.

• This would keep the corn on the cob, where it belongs, and out of car engines.

• Ethanol makes a cleaner-burning fuel, which is awesome for the environment.

Look at the pie chart 'U.S. Corn Use, 2010.' Which sentence accurately describes the information shown?

• Most U.S. corn in 2010 was used to make fuel and ethanol.

• The smallest percentage of corn was used for food and food products.

• About one-third of U.S. corn was used for food and food products.

• Half of U.S. corn was used for feed and residual/other purposes.

What is the most important reason some people support using corn for ethanol?

• It increases food costs for consumers.

• It reduces carbon emissions and supports American farmers.

• It harms the environment through farming practices.

• It provides food for humans and livestock.

Which detail from the passage supports the idea that ethanol production has environmental drawbacks?

• Ethanol makes a cleaner-burning fuel.

• Corn is a major crop used to feed humans and livestock.

• The large-scale farming and manufacturing practices of ethanol production are depleting freshwater resources.

• Over the past century, corn has also been processed into ethanol, a biofuel.

Select two sentences from the passage that are effects of the cause listed below. Cause: More corn is used to produce ethanol.

• Corn is a major crop used to feed humans and livestock.

• Increasing the amount of corn devoted to ethanol will result in increasing food costs.

• Ethanol makes a cleaner-burning fuel.

• This can endanger the nation’s food supply.

• The United States is the leading nation in corn production.

Which sentence from the passage suggests a subjective point of view?

• Corn is one such crop that has been cultivated over time to produce optimum traits.

• The United States is the leading nation in corn production.

• Ethanol is also far less friendly to the environment than it is portrayed.

• Over the past century, corn has also been processed into ethanol, a biofuel.