The next question refers to This Mystery Rocks! by Cynthia Schlagel. The sentences have been numbered to help you identify them more easily.

This Mystery Rocks! By Cyntha Schlagel

1The Drifting Rocks are a strange phenomenon still unexplained by science. 2Located in Death Valley, California, the rocks sit on hot, flat ground. 3Unlike normal rocks, they have trails etched behind them as if they have traveled across the sand. 4Some trails are only a few feet. 5Some trails are over a half a mile long. 6Each trail is as baffling as the next.

7The variety of rock movement has baffled scientists for decades. 8Some rocks seem to roll as they move forward. 9Some take unexplainable routes. 10Large ones have traveled past small ones that have stayed still. 11Some scientists suggest that the rocks are pushed by wind. 12Others believe they slide on small amounts of ice or mud. 13So far, research has not confirmed any theory.

Which sentence best identifies the main idea of paragraph two? (4 points)

Group of answer choices

Scientists are confused by the different ways the rocks move, and theories involving wind, ice, and mud have not been confirmed.

Scientists have theories of how the rocks move.

The rocks have stumped scientists because some roll, some take unexplainable routes, and some have traveled past ones that have stayed still, but scientists have theories that the rocks are pushed by wind or that they slide on ice or mud.

Scientists are baffled by the different ways the rocks move.

How does the narration in this excerpt affect the storytelling? it shows rosa parks’s view of herself. it explains rosa parks’s motivation for staying seated. it shows the poet’s perspective of rosa parks. it provides a portrait of rosa parks with a lot of descriptive detail.

Match each excerpt with the type of essay it represents. descriptive essay narrative essay expository essay persuasive essay essay excerpt type of essay when hal arrives at the pond, a bleak sight greets him as he discovers the surface of the skating pond is layered with snow. realizing he is facing a monumental task, he industriously begins to shovel the mounds of new snow from the frozen pond. lifting shovelful after shovelful of heavy wet snow, hal tirelessly works. while he works, he dreams of his brilliant future as a magnificent hockey star. soon a massive pile of glistening snow begins to appear on the bank, and the icy surface of the pond is smooth glass. hal’s back and arms ache as he eagerly exchanges his work boots for an old, worn pair of hockey skates. arrowright potter's lake used to be the nicest lake in the area. but these days the water is green with algae, and the lake is choked with weeds all summer long. as a result, people can no longer swim in it. experts have determined the cause of the problem. fertilizers from yards and farms have been running into the lake. they cause algae and weeds to grow out of control. they also kill birds and fish. arrowright a hard, gray mountain loomed over a serene, florescent-blue lake, which gently lapped at its granite base. miles above the lake, a trio of mountain peaks jutted into the sky. each seemed to be topped with a chilled scoop of vanilla ice cream. as a cold and distant sun crept over the peaks, the lake and valley below instantly became suffused with blue light, which seemed to touch everything but warm nothing. morning had arrived. arrowright since 1897, the population of the bachman's warbler in north carolina has decreased from more than 500,000 to fewer than 100. the main reason is the destruction of areas (like asbury woodlands) that the bird uses for its natural breeding grounds. bachman's warblers prefer thickly wooded swamps and wet thickets in heavy, full-grown forests. it’s there that they can build their nests and feed on insects. this fact does not mean that we cannot build a community theater. we simply must not build it in asbury woodlands. after all, our community has forever prided itself on caring for our natural surroundings. with the council’s and the support of our townspeople, future generations will be able to continue to appreciate the beauty of this little bird

How can rereading a passage to clarify the meaning of a later one?