Read this passage from "The City Without Us" by Alan Weisman:In New York, the European starling—now a ubiquitous avian pest from Alaska to Mexico—was introduced because someone thought the city would be more cultured if Central Park were home to each bird mentioned in Shakespeare. Next came a Central Park garden with every plant in the Bard's plays, sown with the lyrical likes of primrose, wormwood, lark's heel, eglantine, and cowslip—everything short of Macbeth's Birnam Wood.What does Weisman's word choice most clearly suggest about his feelings on the introduction of new species of birds and plants to Central Park?A.He uses the word "ubiquitous" to show that the starling has become well known in the United States.B.He describes Central Park as "lyrical" and "cultured" to boast about New York's being a center of culture.C.He uses the words "pest" and "everything short of" to ridicule the introduction of the new species.D.He credits Shakespeare for inspiring the introduction of the new species to show his disdain for them.SUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Read this passage from "The City Without Us" by Alan Weisman:Within two centuries, estimates Brooklyn Botanical Garden vice president Steven Clemants, colonizing trees will have substantially replaced pioneer weeds. Gutters buried under tons of leaf litter provide new, fertile ground for native oaks and maples from city parks. Arriving black locust and autumn olive shrubs fix nitrogen, allowing sunflowers, bluestem, and white snakeroot to move in along with apple trees, their seeds expelled by proliferating birds.Which statement best explains how the structure of the passage supports the author's purpose?A.The passage traces the chronology of the biological succession of plants to highlight how an urban area will return to its natural state.B.The passage shows the effect of natural forces such as seed dispersal to highlight how plants become established in different areas.C.The passage traces the chronology of the biological succession of plants to predict that the city will become an oasis fit for human habitation.D.The passage lists the varieties of plant life to show the biodiversity of the city because of human intervention.

Read this passage from "The City Without Us" by Alan Weisman:Once, Manhattan was 27 square miles of porous ground interlaced with living roots that siphoned the 47.2 inches of average annual rainfall up trees and into meadow grasses, which drank their fill and exhaled the rest back into the atmosphere. Whatever the roots didn't take settled into the island's water table. In places, it surfaced in lakes and marshes, with the excess draining off to the ocean via those 40 streams—which now lie trapped beneath concrete and asphalt.What does Weisman's word choice most clearly suggest about his feelings on Manhattan's ecology?A.He uses the word "siphoned" to describe the process by which the vegetation absorbed the rainwater.B.He describes the city as "concrete," "asphalt," and "trapped" to criticize the eradication of Manhattan's natural landscape.C.He expresses regret that 40 of the city's streams lie trapped beneath the surface.D.He uses the words "drank" and "exhaled" to attribute human characteristics to the trees and grasses.

Read the following excerpt from "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman:With no dredging, Central Park's ponds and reservoir have been reincarnated as marshes. Without natural grazers — unless horses used by hansom cabs and by park policemen managed to go feral and breed — Central Park's grass is gone. A maturing forest is in its place, radiating down former streets and invading empty foundations.Which best explains how the structure of this passage supports the author's purpose?A.The passage traces several events in the order that they will occur to highlight how people have harmed the environment in Central Park.B.The passage describes how the absence of human activity will change Central Park to show that nature will eventually destroy what people have built.C.The passage compares the Central Park from before and from during a posthuman world to underscore that pollution levels will remain the same.D.The passage shows the effects of human activity on Central Park to prove that laws protecting the environment are necessary for human survival.

Read this passage from "The City Without Us":The notion that someday nature could swallow whole something so colossal and concrete as a modern city doesn't slide easily into our imaginations. The sheer titanic presence of a New York City resists efforts to picture it wasting away. The events of September 2001 showed only what human beings with explosive hardware can do, not crude processes like erosion or rot. . . . Nevertheless, the time it would take nature to rid itself of what urbanity has wrought may be less than we might suspect.Why does the author most likely emphasize the size of New York City?A.To contrast the city with the much smaller ecosystems that existed before itB.To show that it's actually quite small compared to nature and the ecosystemC.To imply that New York City comprises its own self-contained ecosystemD.To suggest that humanity's mark on the environment is irreversibleSUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Which species would thrive if New York City were to be abandoned, according to Alan Weisman?A.American chestnuts and bonsai bushesB.Cockroaches and ratsC.Red-tailed hawks and peregrine falconsD.Red deer and mustang horses