What is the best definition for the underlined word in the excerpt from the passage?
A growing body of evidence shows that light pollution exacerbates, and might directly cause, cancer, obesity, and depression….
A.
mitigates
B.
creates solutions
C.
makes worse
D.
conceives
C. makes worse
Which statement(s) best reflects a central idea(s) presented in the text?
I. “Human-controlled light has pierced the night for thousands of years, long before [Thomas] Edison.” (Paragraph 2)
II. “Taxpayers funded oil lamps and candlelit lanterns for the avenues, while only genteel households could afford fine beeswax or spermaceti candles… (Paragraph 2)
III. “A young but rapidly growing field of research suggests that night-time light itself is far more dangerous than the dark.” (Paragraph 3)
A.
I only
B.
II and III only
C.
I and II only
D.
III only
D. III only
The figurative language in “‘Evil spirits love not the smell of lamps,’ as Plato put it” (Paragraph 2) describes the
A.
peace of darkness.
B.
security of light.
C.
beauty of light.
D.
value of darkness.
B. security of light.
“More than 60 per cent of the world, and fully 99 per cent of the US and Europe, lives under a yellowy sky polluted with light. For many of us, the only place to see the milky backbone of our own galaxy is on the ceiling of a planetarium. Although humans are diurnal, factories and Twitter and hospitals and CNN are not, so we must conquer the darkness. As a result, almost everything industrialised people build is lit up at night. Malls, hospitals, car dealerships. Streets, bridges, air and sea ports. Buildings on a skyline. These artificial lights identify our cities all the way from the moon. If aliens ever do drop by, this might be their first sign that someone is home.”
If the author added this to the article after Paragraph 1, what intended effect might this have on readers?
A.
It reinforces for readers that light pollution is a serious issue by using specific details and appealing to emotions.
B.
It provides additional and specific evidence to prove that light does not affect the circadian cycle of humans.
C.
It creates a counter-argument for the rest of the article by claiming that too much light is not a problem for the planet.
D.
It provides more evidence against the argument by using data to demonstrate the authority and reliability of the author.