How do paragraphs 6-8 contribute to the
development of ideas in the passage?

format change of dna.  

the last one: artificial selection/genetic engineering

plant breeding is modifying the genetic composition of the plant - but this isn't cloning (which is specifically introducing a gene into a genome). but you are artificially selecting for the phenotype that you want.

the second one is literally genetic engineering - the gene would have been cloned first and then inserted or genetically engineered into the new plant cell (the cotton).

the answer to the blank provided is “an autosomal gene that is required for the expression of genes on the x chromosome”.

testis-determining factor, abbreviated as td, which is more popularly known as sex-determining region y or sry protein, is a dna-binding protein or  gene-regulatory protein/transcription factor, encoded by the  sry gene. it is the gene responsible for the initiation of male gender determination in humans.