Question

1. on the island of hawaii, kaimana notices that the sand on the beach is black. the sand used to be part of the rock formations on the island. after researching, the student learns to be part of the rock formations. how did material from the rock formations turn into sand?

a) rays from the sun shone down on the rock, and it broke into pieces.

b) if anything were left out for a long time, it would break into small pieces.

c) the sand was formed by earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters. these disasters were strong enough to break the rock into small pieces.

d) wind and rain interacted with the rock, breaking it into small pieces.

Explanation:

The process of weathering (physical and chemical) is what breaks rocks into smaller pieces. Wind and rain (as agents of physical weathering) interact with rocks over time to break them down. Option a is incorrect as sunlight alone doesn't break rocks into pieces in the way described. Option b is too general and not specific to the rock - sand transformation. Option c is incorrect as earthquakes and tsunamis are more about large - scale geological movements rather than the common process of turning rocks into sand on a beach.

Answer:

d. Wind and rain interacted with the rock, breaking it into small pieces.