Question

read the passage. highlight the sentence that best helps you understand what catastrophic means.
forest fires are common and always cause damage. trees burn, as does other vegetation, such as shrubs, grass, and wildflowers. some animals and even houses burn if the forest fire is near where people live. forest fires also cause air pollution, which makes it harder for people and animals to breathe.
when the amazon rainforest caught fire, the damage was catastrophic. the average amount of land affected in a wildfire is 130 acres, but by march 2020, 4.6 million acres of the amazon rainforest had burned.

Explanation:

The word "catastrophic" means extremely harmful or causing great damage. In the passage, the sentence "The average amount of land affected in a wildfire is 130 acres, but by March 2020, 4.6 million acres of the Amazon rainforest had burned." provides a comparison between the average land affected by a wildfire (130 acres) and the huge amount of land burned in the Amazon rainforest (4.6 million acres). This large - scale destruction helps us understand the severity and great damage implied by the word "catastrophic".

Answer:

The average amount of land affected in a wildfire is 130 acres, but by March 2020, 4.6 million acres of the Amazon rainforest had burned.