Lultiple Choice 1-4 1. Read the selection from the section "Predators."
“Lacking a top predator, elk populations in Yellowstone exploded.
Elk herds competed for food resources, and plants such as grasses,
sedges and reeds did not have time or space to grow back."
→ Why does the author use the word "exploded"?
a. to suggest the violence with which predators hunt
b. to suggest the shock of scientists at the lost predators
c. to convey the speed at which the elk population grew
d. to convey the excitement of elk at having no predators