Mother Nature suddenly announces her displeasure with a woomph followed by a dull crack and a geyser of powdered snow. The dislodged snowpack begins to plunge down the mountain: it's an avalanche! Moving as a fragmented sheet of snow, this one is ten feet thick and as vast as twenty football fields. In mere seconds, it accelerates from zero to eighty miles per hour, building speed as it charges downward. The colossal slab cuts a scar down the slope, collapsing massive pines as if they were twigs. Once again, the monumental strength of nature is on display.

Question

Mother Nature suddenly announces her displeasure with a woomph followed by a dull crack and a geyser of powdered snow. The dislodged snowpack begins to plunge down the mountain: it's an avalanche! Moving as a fragmented sheet of snow, this one is ten feet thick and as vast as twenty football fields. In mere seconds, it accelerates from zero to eighty miles per hour, building speed as it charges downward. The colossal slab cuts a scar down the slope, collapsing massive pines as if they were twigs. Once again, the monumental strength of nature is on display.

How does the author's use of descriptive language contribute to the passage?
A. It illustrates the immense speed and size of the avalanche .
B, It shows that avalanches are very common in the mountains.

Answer 1

A. It illustrates the immense speed and size of the avalanche.

The author's descriptive language helps to paint a vivid picture of the power and magnitude of the avalanche. By describing the avalanche as "moving as a fragmented sheet of snow," "ten feet thick," and "as vast as twenty football fields," the reader can better understand the enormous size and scale of the natural disaster. Phrases like "accelerates from zero to eighty miles per hour" and "building speed as it charges downward" help to convey the rapid and destructive nature of the avalanche. Overall, the author's use of descriptive language effectively conveys the sheer force and intensity of the avalanche.