Question

passage 3: the dumbo octopus
1 when you imagine the ocean floor, perhaps your mind swims with huge, mysterious creatures full of sharp teeth and scaly skin. exotic animals like the giant spider crab, fangtooth fish, and giant tube worm make their homes at the bottom of earth’s oceans. however, at even deeper depths, between 9,800 and 13,000 feet (3,000–4,000 meters), there lives a creature so small, and adorable that scientists, upon seeing the dumbo octopus, are likely to say nothing more than “aww!”
2 this cute creature’s popular name, “dumbo octopus,” actually refers to more than one species. the dumbo’s genus is grimpoteuthis, and it is known as least sixteen different species.
passage continues with description of dumbo octopus features and behavior, including a paragraph about defense mechanisms: sharp spines, eight tentacles, use to swipe at prey, puncturing its skin. (paragraph 5)
how does the author use description and cause - and - effect text structures to add meaning to this account?
○ by explaining how and why the dumbo octopus has superior hearing skills
○ by explaining how and why the dumbo octopus is similar to and different from other octopuses
○ by explaining how and why the dumbo octopus is a popular food source for predators
○ by explaining how and why the dumbo octopus uses certain body parts

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the passage and the question about the author's use of description and cause - effect text structure. The relevant part of the passage (Paragraph 5) talks about the Dumbo octopus's defense mechanism: when a predator is near, it uses sharp spines on its tentacles to pierce other animals. So we need to see which option matches this.

Looking at the options:

• Option 1: The passage doesn't say the Dumbo octopus has superior hearing skills. In fact, it says the “Dumbo ears” aren't actual ears, so this is wrong.
• Option 2: There's no comparison in the passage about the Dumbo octopus being smaller or different from other octopuses in terms of size or other aspects related to this option, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: The passage doesn't mention the Dumbo octopus being a popular food source for predators, so this is wrong.
• Option 4: The passage describes the Dumbo octopus's defense (the sharp spines on tentacles) and the effect (piercing other animals to defend itself), which is a cause - effect structure. So this option is correct as it explains how and why the Dumbo octopus uses certain body parts (tentacles with spines) for defense.

Answer:

The option "by explaining how and why the Dumbo octopus uses certain body parts" (the fourth option among the given choices).