Cause &
Effect
Effect
According to paragraph 4, which human activity is presented as a direct cause that can change the water whooping cranes need to live?
A. Rising sea levels
B. Dams, reservoirs, and canals
C. Hurricanes
D. Protected national refuges
B. Dams, reservoirs, and canals
Paragraph 5 gives steps individuals can take to save water. Which of the following is listed as an immediate action?
A. Participate in community cleanup days
B. Use plants that take less water in your gardens
C. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth
D. Donate to nonprofits
C. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth
Which is the most likely primary purpose of the passage excerpt?
A. To entertain readers with crane stories
B. To inform readers about threats to whooping cranes and urge action to protect wetlands
C. To describe the biological anatomy of whooping cranes
D. To argue that wetlands are unimportant
B. To inform readers about threats to whooping cranes and urge action to protect wetlands
The author organizes paragraph 1 by —
A. presenting research about whooping cranes and then explaining why it is important they survive
B. describing the steps scientists have taken to support the survival of whooping cranes
C. stating that the whooping cranes' survival is threatened by humans and then describing how
D. comparing other endangered animals to the whooping cranes and then contrasting their struggles to survive
C. stating that the whooping cranes' survival is threatened by humans and then describing how
In paragraph 6, the word "moral obligation" most nearly means —
A. a legal punishment
B. a scientific experiment
C. a duty based on right and wrong
D. a random suggestion
C. a duty based on right and wrong
Paragraph 3 mentions both natural and human causes for wetland loss. Which paired effect most directly follows from human-caused wetland reduction as described in paragraphs 3–4?
A. Increased biodiversity and cleaner water
B. More wetland areas and stable ecosystems
C. Disrupted delicate balance of wetland ecosystems and less water for whoopers.
D. Higher food supply for whooping cranes
C. Disrupted delicate balance of wetland ecosystems and less water for whoopers.
The excerpt’s overall sequence—from paragraphs 1 through 4—moves from:
A. solutions to problems to general background
B. examples of help being provided to a summary of threats
C. listing threats, mentioning protection efforts, then explaining how wetlands continue to disappear
D. individual action steps to global policy recommendations
C. listing threats, mentioning protection efforts, then explaining how wetlands continue to disappear
Which sentence from the passage best shows the author’s persuasive purpose (to convince readers to act)?
A. "Whoopers are still in danger from pollution and power-line collisions." (paragraph 1)
B. "State agencies and nonprofit organizations are dedicated to protecting wetlands and the national refuges." (paragraph 2)
C. "There are many things you and your family can do every day to help conserve and protect our water." (paragraph 5)
D. "Whooping cranes are still the rarest cranes in the world." (paragraph 6)
C. "There are many things you and your family can do every day to help conserve and protect our water." (paragraph 5)
In paragraphs 3 and 4, the author groups ideas about wetland loss. Which organizational pattern best describes these paragraphs?
A. Compare and contrast between two species
B. Problem and cause explanation (problems threatening habitat followed by causes)
C. Chronological narrative of conservation history
D. Classification of different crane species
B. Problem and cause explanation (problems threatening habitat followed by causes)
Main Claim: The whooping crane and its habitat are in danger, so everyone should do their part to help the cranes and their habitat survive.
Which sentence from the selection best supports the main claim? (Two possible answers)
A. "Whoopers are still in danger from pollution and power-line collisions." (paragraph 1)
B. "When the wetland is in trouble, the delicate balance of this ecosystem is disrupted." (paragraph 4)
C. "There are many things you and your family can do every day to help conserve and protect our water." (paragraph 5)
D. "The whooping crane cannot survive without help from everyone." (paragraph 7)
C. "There are many things you and your family can do every day to help conserve and protect our water." (paragraph 5)
or
D. "The whooping crane cannot survive without help from everyone." (paragraph 7)
How does the author connect pollution to harm for whooping cranes in the passage?
A. Pollution causes hunting to increase.
B. Pollution diverts rivers away from wetlands.
C. Pollution can kill native wildlife, which damages the cranes’ food chain and habitat.
D. Pollution increases the number of predators in wetlands.
C. Pollution can kill native wildlife, which damages the cranes’ food chain and habitat.
Which detail shows a cause-then-effect sequence within paragraph 4?
A. "Even though wetland areas may be protected, developing the land outside... impacts the amount of water the wetland receives."
B. "State agencies and nonprofit organizations are dedicated..."
C. "Whoopers also suffer when people divert the water..."
D. "Some experts predict that unprotected wetlands will disappear in about 40 years."
A. "Even though wetland areas may be protected, developing the land outside... impacts the amount of water the wetland receives."
Paragraph 6 argues people have a moral obligation to help whooping cranes because humans caused the problem. Which choice identifies the author’s rhetorical purpose here?
A. To distance humans from responsibility
B. To establish credibility of scientists only
C. To assign responsibility to humans so readers will feel compelled to act
D. To provide historical data unrelated to the argument
C. To assign responsibility to humans so readers will feel compelled to act
Which sentence best explains how paragraph 2 functions within the passage’s structure?
A. It lists solutions individuals must follow.
B. It introduces the agencies and nonprofits that support wetland protection, providing contrast to the threats listed elsewhere.
C. It provides an unrelated anecdote.
D. It repeats paragraph 1’s final question.
B. It introduces the agencies and nonprofits that support wetland protection, providing contrast to the threats listed elsewhere.
In paragraph 1, the author uses the word "looming" in "habitat destruction is still a looming threat." What does "looming" imply about habitat destruction?
A. It is unlikely to occur.
B. It is immediate and already over.
C. It is a potential future threat that is large and worrying.
D. It is a welcome change.
C. It is a potential future threat that is large and worrying.
In paragraph 1, the author lists threats (pollution, power-line collisions, hunting). Which effect does the author use these examples to support?
A. That whoopers will never face human threats again
B. That human impact makes the cranes’ future dependent on land and water protection
C. That cranes adapt quickly to new habitats
D. That hunting is the sole threat to whoopers
B. That human impact makes the cranes’ future dependent on land and water protection
The passage shifts between describing threats and responses. Which sentence sequence best reflects the author’s organizational choice to build urgency?
A. Present human threats → list protections in place → explain continuing threats and consequences
B. Introduce organizations → describe human threats → explain that everything is solved
C. Give a single solution → ask rhetorical questions → provide unrelated facts
D. Compare whoopers to other animals → explain legal statutes → provide dates
A. Present human threats → list protections in place → explain continuing threats and consequences
Which detail most strongly supports the idea that the author intends to persuade readers to protect wetlands?
A. The mention of a captive-raised whooper that was shot (paragraph 1)
B. The list of nonprofit organizations (paragraph 2)
C. The line: "The whooping crane cannot survive without help from everyone." (paragraph 6–7)
D. The visual description of the logo
C. The line: "The whooping crane cannot survive without help from everyone." (paragraph 6–7)
Paragraphs 5–7 shift toward individual action and moral responsibility. Which structural move does this represent?
A. From specific examples to broader implications and calls to action
B. From action steps to purely scientific data
C. From narrative storytelling to fictional account
D. From cause to unrelated trivia
A. From specific examples to broader implications and calls to action
The term "protected and unprotected wetlands are disappearing" (paragraph 3) most closely means:
A. Wetlands are being purposely hidden from conservationists.
B. Wetlands are physically shrinking or being lost due to causes like development and sea-level rise.
C. Wetlands are moving to new locations.
D. Wetlands are being converted into national parks.
B. Wetlands are physically shrinking or being lost due to causes like development and sea-level rise.
Read paragraph 4’s examples (dams, reservoirs, canals, oil spills, development). Which best describes the long-term effect these combined actions would have on the species according to the author?
A. Whooping cranes will migrate to new continents.
B. Whooping cranes’ numbers will stabilize without intervention.
C. Unprotected wetlands may disappear in about 40 years, threatening whoopers’ survival.
D. Wetlands will naturally restore themselves quickly.
C. Unprotected wetlands may disappear in about 40 years, threatening whoopers’ survival.
The author ends paragraph 1 with "How will the whoopers make it?" What is the sequence purpose of ending with this question after listing threats?
A. To summarize prior solutions offered earlier in the text
B. To shift the paragraph into a hopeful description of recovery
C. To prompt reader reflection and transition into discussion of protective actions and human responsibility
D. To restate the same facts in a different wording
C. To prompt reader reflection and transition into discussion of protective actions and human responsibility
The author uses the question at the end of paragraph 1 and the prediction in paragraph 4 ("Some experts predict...") together to achieve which combined persuasive effect?
A. To reassure readers that experts disagree about whoopers’ future
B. To prompt concern and motivate long-term thinking and action to protect habitat
C. To provide a timeline for hunting regulations only
D. To compare whoopers to other species' recovery stories
B. To prompt concern and motivate long-term thinking and action to protect habitat
How does the author’s arrangement of paragraphs (threats → protection efforts → continuing threats → individual actions → moral obligation) best serve the central claim?
A. It confuses the reader about who is responsible.
B. It shows there is no hope for whoopers.
C. It establishes problems, acknowledges help, highlights remaining urgency, and then directs responsibility to readers—thereby reinforcing that collective action is needed.
D. It focuses solely on policy recommendations and ignores personal choices.
C. It establishes problems, acknowledges help, highlights remaining urgency, and then directs responsibility to readers—thereby reinforcing that collective action is needed.
The author writes that whoopers are "still the rarest cranes in the world." Which inference about meaning and tone is best supported by that statement?
A. The author is indifferent to the species' status.
B. The author aims to minimize the importance of whoopers.
C. The author emphasizes urgency and rarity to persuade readers to value and protect whoopers.
D. The author intends to argue that whoopers are abundant.
C. The author emphasizes urgency and rarity to persuade readers to value and protect whoopers.