Question

read the excerpt from \the environmental ethic\
it is fashionable in some quarters to wave aside the small and obscure, the bugs and weeds, forgetting that an obscure moth from latin america saved australias pastureland from overgrowth by cactus, that the rosy periwinkle provided the cure for hodgkins disease and childhood lymphocytic leukemia, that the bark of the pacific yew offers hope for victims of ovarian and breast cancer, that a chemical from the saliva of leeches dissolves blood clots during surgery, and so on down a roster already grown long and illustrious despite the limited research addressed to it.
which of the following claims is best supported by the evidence in this excerpt?
all species are worth protecting because even the small organisms contribute important functions in the environment.
every effort should be made to protect each bug and weed species regardless of its potential to cause destruction.
all of the species that are now extinct or are becoming extinct could have cured a disease.
only the species that can be used for medical purposes are worth protecting from extinction.

Explanation:

The text gives examples of small and obscure organisms (like a Latin American moth, rosy periwinkle, Pacific yew, leeches) that have important functions (saving pastureland, providing cures for diseases, dissolving blood clots). This supports the idea that even small organisms contribute important functions in the environment, which implies all species are worth protecting.

• Option 2 is wrong as it ignores the potential destruction - the text focuses on positive contributions, not protection regardless of destruction.
• Option 3 is too extreme - the text gives some examples of species with medical benefits, not all extinct or becoming extinct species.
• Option 4 is incorrect as the text's examples (like the moth saving pastureland) show non - medical important functions, so it's not only species for medical purposes.

Answer:

All species are worth protecting because even the small organisms contribute important functions in the environment.