(1) During a visit to the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts, Carla Curran shares 3-D models of microscopic phytoplankton with a group of teenagers. (2) Phytoplankton are a kind of algae. (3) The models are 5,000 times their original size. (4) The students run their hands over the grooves and cracks of the models, learning the parts. (5) Curran asks the teens to say what they feel. (6) For more than 22 years Curran has taught hundreds of students most recently at Savannah State University in Georgia. (7) However, over the past six years, her role as a guest educator at Perkins has led to the work in which she has the most influence. What is the BEST way to combine sentences 2 and 3?

Question

A.Phytoplankton are a kind of algae because the models are 5,000 times their original size.
B.Phytoplankton are a kind of algae, or the models are 5,000 times their original size.
C.Phytoplankton are a kind of algae if the models are 5,000 times their original size.
D.Phytoplankton are a kind of algae, and the models are 5,000 times their original size.

Answer 1

The BEST way to combine sentences 2 and 3 is:

D. Phytoplankton are a kind of algae, and the models are 5,000 times their original size.

This option maintains the factual relationship of both statements without implying causation or condition, making it the most straightforward and clear choice.