Question

read the passage. there are several questions about the passage.\
mechanically active place in the solar system.\
6\
the sulfur - covered moon earns this distinction by orbiting dangerously close to its parent planet, jupiter, in a slightly elliptical orbit. the (null) egg - shaped orbit is maintained by resonances with two of jupiters largest moons, europa and ganymede: io completes four orbits at the same time that europa completes two and ganymede one. every seven days, the perfect alignment of the large satellites gives io an extra gravitational boost that prevents the stinky moon from developing a nice circular orbit.\
7\
as io repeatedly moves closer to and farther away from the giant planet, jupiters powerful gravity flexes and deforms the nearby satellite. if you quickly bend a short length of stiff metal wire (such as a wire clothes hanger) back and forth, youll get some idea of just how jupiters tidal flexing generates smoldering heat deep within ios interior.\
8\
as a result, extreme volcanic activity permeates the tortured moon. gaseous burps emanate from over 400 active volcanic pores on its ever - changing surface. in 2000, the galileo spacecraft detected the birth of a new volcano on io. then in 2007, nasas new horizons mission observed the largest eruption to date—sulfur plumes extending as high as 300 km (180 miles) above the surface. by comparison, the biggest volcanic eruptions on earth reach only about 20 km (12 miles) high.\
9\
there is no indication that this overwhelmingly pungent process will end anytime soon. jupiter keeps pulling and ios volcanoes continue to erupt. the sun incessantly zaps the sulfurous atmosphere with radiation. and the stinkiest place in the solar system ends up reeking like a cracked rotten egg again and again.\
\stinkiest place—the rotten egg of io\ from the 50 most extreme places in our solar system by david and todd ratcliff. text and caption copyright © 2010 by the president and fellows of harvard college. used by permission of the authors.\
how does paragraph 8 mainly contribute to the development of the ideas in the passage?\
\bigcirc 1. it explains how scientists obtained information about io.\
\bigcirc 2. it compares old volcanic activity on io to more recent activity.\
\bigcirc 3. it gives reasons that the volcanic activity on io is extraordinary.\
\bigcirc 4. it provides evidence that the orbit of io is unlikely to change.\
part b\
select two excerpts from paragraph 8 that best support the correct answer from part a.\
\square 1. \gaseous burps emanate\\
\square 2. \over 400 active volcanic pores\\
\square 3. \ever - changing surface\\
\square 4. \sulfur plumes extending as high as 300 km\\
\square 5. \biggest volcanic eruptions on earth\

Explanation:

Part A

To determine the main contribution of paragraph 8, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: Paragraph 8 does not focus on how scientists obtained information about Io, but rather on the volcanic activity itself. Eliminate.
• Option 2: There is no comparison of old and recent volcanic activity on Io in paragraph 8. Eliminate.
• Option 3: Paragraph 8 describes extreme volcanic activity on Io (over 400 active pores, new volcano, large eruption) and compares it to Earth's eruptions, giving reasons why Io's volcanic activity is extraordinary. This matches.
• Option 4: The paragraph does not discuss the likelihood of Io's orbit changing. Eliminate.

We need to find excerpts from paragraph 8 that support the idea that Io's volcanic activity is extraordinary.

• "over 400 active volcanic pores" shows a large number of active volcanoes, indicating extraordinary activity.
• "sulfur plumes extending as high as 300 km" and comparing to Earth's 20 km eruptions (from "biggest volcanic eruptions on Earth") also show its extraordinariness. But we need two. The excerpts "over 400 active volcanic pores" and "sulfur plumes extending as high as 300 km" or "biggest volcanic eruptions on Earth" can work. However, the key excerpts that directly show the extent of Io's activity are "over 400 active volcanic pores" and "sulfur plumes extending as high as 300 km" (or "biggest volcanic eruptions on Earth" as a comparison).

Answer:

1. It gives reasons that the volcanic activity on Io is extraordinary.

Part B