Question

there are several questions about this passage.
this excerpt is from a book that explains the science of everyday objects like tall buildings, bicycles, and automobiles.
from atoms under the floorboards
1
one billion cars on the planet. count them! stack them on top of one another and youd get a pile 170,000 times higher than mount everest—tall enough to reach to the moon four times over. park them bumper to bumper and theyd stretch across the united states more than 1,200 times. a billion (a thousand million) is the kind of number most of us find hard to picture. to put it in some kind of perspective, the worlds population is a smidgen over 7 billion; between us, we guzzle 2 billion cups of coffee a day. there are roughly 6 billion mobile phones in circulation—and anywhere between 1 and 2 billion sheep. if you can get past a mental image of a sheep tucked behind the wheel of a jaguar, bleating into the mobile phone thats clamped, cloven hoof style, to its jaw, can you possibly imagine a billion cars?
2
the interesting thing for me isnt that there are so many cars in the world, but why. what is it about cars thats made them, in the space of just over a century, one of the most successful inventions of all time? not surprisingly, the answer is all to do with science.
whats so good about cars?
3
cars are chemistry labs on wheels. and though that might not sound so interesting, it accounts absolutely for their ubiquity. take away the leather seats, the gleaming chrome, the go - faster stripes and all the rest, and youre left with a handful of tin cans called cylinders, where petrol explodes into power. cars are built around engines, and engines (or internal combustion engines, to give them their full name) burn petrol with oxygen in the air to release the energy locked inside it. we think of burning as a way of making fire, but its essentially a chemical reaction between oxygen and fuel that just
part a
what is the main way that the authors style contributes to the effectiveness of the passage?

1. the author uses casual language to help make scientific concepts understandable.
2. the author uses technical terms to help create precision in explaining scientific theories.
3. the author uses examples of scientific progress to suggest a need for future improvements.
4. the author uses emotional statements to emphasize the importance of learning scientific facts.

part b
select two excerpts from the passage that best support the correct answer from part a.
1.
oughly 6 billion mobile phones in circulation\ (paragraph 1)

1. \youre left with a handful of tin cans called cylinders\ (paragraph 3)
2. \the freedom, independence and social status

Explanation:

Part A

To determine the author's style contribution, analyze each option:

• Option 1: The author uses relatable comparisons (e.g., stacking cars to reach the moon, parking across the US) and casual language ("smidgen," "picture") to make scientific concepts (like large numbers) understandable.
• Option 2: The passage uses simple language, not technical jargon, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: The passage explains current science, not suggesting future improvements, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: The author uses factual examples, not emotional statements, so this is incorrect.

We need excerpts that show casual language making science understandable.

• Excerpt 1: "roughly 6 billion mobile phones in circulation" uses relatable examples (mobile phones) to help readers grasp large numbers (a scientific concept of scale), matching the Part A answer.
• Excerpt 2: "you're left with a handful of tin cans called cylinders" uses a casual, relatable analogy (tin cans) to explain engine cylinders (a scientific concept), matching the Part A answer.
• Excerpt 3: (incomplete, but from context, likely not matching).

Answer:

1. The author uses casual language to help make scientific concepts understandable.

Part B