Question

part 5: independent practice
5 water. partnered with the wind, surface currents waft around the worlds oceans, carrying with them all sorts of debris. few seafaring seeds have what it takes to survive the long, meandering journey to hawaii.... one plant whose seeds meet these requirements is the hala - one of the worlds oldest known flowering plants, dating back 250 million years. how do its seeds survive the salty ocean? they are snuggled in a blanket of spongy material, which can float in the sea for months or even years. a species of hawaiian crickets rafted on in pieces of floating wood. they had to struggle to survive on harsh hawaii, feeding on organic debris tossed to shore by wind and wave. they soon adapted, however, giving rise to an endemic species - one found nowhere else on earth.
answer the questions. mark your answers to questions 1 - 4 on the answer form to the right.
1 which of the following is the best statement of the central idea of \against all odds: earths fragile pioneers\?
a the story of the invasion of life is nearly the same everywhere in the world.
b hawaiis story is unique because of the great distance life traveled to get there.
c the jet stream causes the wind to move away from asia and blow right over hawaii.
d certain species, such as hawaiian crickets, struggle and adapt to survive.
2 which sentence best expresses the central idea of the entire article?
a \one species every 70,000 years! thats the rate at which plants and animals once colonized the hawaiian islands.\
b \it took time, but these barren new worlds, risen from the sea and born of fire, finally surrendered to the slow but persistent assault of life.\
c
emote and alone in the heart of the north pacific, hawaii is the most isolated island group on earth.\
d \they had to struggle to survive on harsh hawaii, feeding on organic debris tossed to shore by wind and wave.\

Explanation:

For question 1:

• Option A: The text is not about the "invasion of life" being the same everywhere.
• Option B: The text focuses more on specific species (like Hala and Hawaiian crickets) adapting rather than just the distance.
• Option C: The jet - stream is not the main focus of the central idea.
• Option D: The text describes how Hala seeds and Hawaiian crickets (a species) struggle (e.g., floating in the sea, feeding on limited debris) and adapt (giving rise to an endemic species) to survive.

For question 2:

• Option A: Just gives a rate of colonization, not the central idea of life's struggle and adaptation.
• Option B: Talks about life's persistent assault on barren new worlds (Hawaii), which aligns with the overall theme of life (like the described species) struggling and adapting to colonize Hawaii.
• Option C: Only describes Hawaii's isolation, not the main idea of life's presence there.
• Option D: Only focuses on the crickets' struggle, not the overall central idea of the article.

Answer:

1. D. Certain species, such as Hawaiian crickets, struggle and adapt to survive.
2. B. “It took time, but these barren new 'worlds,' risen from the sea and born of fire, finally surrendered to the slow but persistent assault of life.”