Use the two passages to answer the question.
1. Have you ever seen a sea turtle, whale, shark, or dolphin? Even if you have only seen pictures online, you can see how cute all of these creatures are. Well, they are in danger. So many of them are killed every year because of plastic waste. From people throwing away single-use water bottles to companies using a ton of plastic to make their products, we can all do better. Scientists are finding creatures like fish and sea birds with their stomachs filled with indigestible plastic. We have to change this, starting today!
2. Oceans cover 71 percent of Earth’s surface, and they are where most of Earth’s water comes from. Because of this, they are one of our greatest natural resources. Unfortunately, around 8 million metric tons of plastic enters our oceans each year. We all need to do more to save our oceans from this type of pollution. Fortunately, there are groups like the Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, and the Lonely Whale Foundation. They are all dedicated to helping this issue.
A student is researching the impact of plastic waste. Write a paragraph that compares and contrasts the two passages. Explain which passage would be better for the student to use and why.
(4 points)
Both passages discuss the impact of plastic waste on ocean creatures and the need for action to address this issue. Passage 1 focuses more on the harmful effects of plastic waste on marine animals such as sea turtles, whales, sharks, and dolphins. It emphasizes the urgency of taking immediate action to reduce plastic pollution in order to protect these creatures. Passage 2, on the other hand, provides more general information about the importance of oceans as natural resources and the amount of plastic that enters the oceans each year. It also mentions specific organizations dedicated to addressing the issue of plastic pollution in the oceans.
For a student researching the impact of plastic waste, Passage 1 would be better to use as it provides more specific and detailed information about the harm caused to marine animals by plastic waste. It also emphasizes the need for immediate action to address this issue. Passage 2 provides important background information on the scale of plastic pollution in the oceans and the organizations working to combat it, but it does not offer as much depth in terms of the specific impact on marine animals. Overall, Passage 1 would provide more relevant and useful information for a student researching the impact of plastic waste on marine ecosystems.