Question

read the passage.

pushing nature to the brink of extinction also has a direct financial impact. in the united states, thousands of individuals enjoy wildlife entertainment. activities like fishing, hunting, and hiking account for $108 billion in annual revenues. those activities also provide 2.6 million jobs.

in addition, plants and animals provide a big boost to the tourism industry in many parts of the world. alaska is famous for its bears and bald eagles. nature tours and cruises run all year long in that state. many people also dream of traveling on an african safari. these tourists play a major role in the african economy. for example, one study reported that each tourist in zambia brings $1,100 to the economy.

what is the central idea of this passage?

• the importance of bears and bald eagles to alaska’s tourism
• the importance of tourism to the world’s economy
• the importance of tourism to alaska’s economy
• the importance of plants and animals to tourism

Explanation:

1. Analyze Option 1: It focuses only on Alaska's tourism and specific animals (bears, bald eagles), but the passage also covers US wildlife activities and African tourism, so it's too narrow.
2. Analyze Option 2: The passage isn't mainly about tourism's importance to the world economy. It emphasizes how plants/animals (wildlife) impact tourism (and related economy), not tourism's general economic importance.
3. Analyze Option 3: It's limited to Alaska's economy, but the passage includes US wildlife activities and African tourism, so it's too narrow.
4. Analyze Option 4: The passage shows wildlife (fishing, hunting, hiking activities; plants/animals in Alaska, Africa) boosts tourism (e.g., Alaska's nature tours, African safaris) and related economy, so this option captures the central idea about plants/animals' importance to tourism.

Answer:

D. the importance of plants and animals to tourism