Globalization and the Information Age: Postmodernism into the Twenty-First Century — Test
Question 2 • TPS EdX English Language Arts 11
Read the excerpt from "The Environmental Ethic." It is fashionable in some quarters to wave aside the small and obscure, the bugs and weeds, forgetting that an obscure moth from Latin America saved Australia’s pastureland from overgrowth by cactus, that the rosy periwinkle provided the cure for Hodgkin’s disease and childhood lymphocytic leukemia, that the bark of the Pacific yew offers hope for victims of ovarian and breast cancer, that a chemical from the saliva of leeches dissolves blood clots during surgery, and so on down a roster already grown long and illustrious despite the limited research addressed to it. Which of the following claims is best supported by the evidence in this excerpt?
Answer
A
All species are worth protecting because even the small organisms contribute important functions in the environment.
B
Only the species that can be used for medical purposes are worth protecting from extinction.
C
All of the species that are now extinct or are becoming extinct could have cured a disease.
D
Every effort should be made to protect each bug and weed species regardless of its potential to cause destruction.
Explanation
The excerpt gives several examples of small or obscure organisms that have proved valuable: a moth controlled cactus overgrowth, a plant provided medicines, and leech saliva helps dissolve blood clots. These examples support the claim that even organisms people may overlook can make important contributions. The passage does not say that only medically useful species matter, or that every threatened species could cure a disease.
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