n the South Pacific. The Maori language and culture resembled the language and culture of those who lived on the Cook Islands. Those islands are about 2,000 miles northeast of New Zealand. Some think that is the original Maori home.

Question

Not everyone thinks that the Maori came from the Cook Islands. Some guess other South Pacific islands, but Polynesia goes back even further. Anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl claims that the Polynesians may originally have come from the Americas. He says this because one of the staples of their diet was the kumara, a food like the sweet potato that is native to the Americas. Other scholars feel that Polynesians originated in China and migrated south into the Pacific.

If the Cook Islands are their real origins, then the trip was quite a feat indeed. The prevailing winds in this region blow southeast, a fact that would seem to prevent an accidental discovery of New Zealand. It’s possible that the Maori left their home and intentionally set out to reach land. They would likely have observed the flight direction of migratory birds and assumed that the birds knew where the land was. They may also have used the stars to cross the ocean waters.

This question of their original home is not critical to appreciating their accomplishment. No matter where they started, the trip the Maori made to New Zealand can only be described as exceptional. These people knew the sea.

Question
Use the passage to answer the question.
The author’s purpose is to inform the reader. Which statement from the passage best demonstrates this intent?
(1 point)
Responses

A verdant rainforest rises out of the ocean to snow-capped peaks.
A verdant rainforest rises out of the ocean to snow-capped peaks.

Scholars are not sure about the legend but do speculate that the Maori discovered Aotearoa more than 1,000 years ago and that they came by boat from somewhere in the South Pacific.
Scholars are not sure about the legend but do speculate that the Maori discovered Aotearoa more than 1,000 years ago and that they came by boat from somewhere in the South Pacific.

Rivers roar and meadows blossom.
Rivers roar and meadows blossom.

This question of their original home is not critical to appreciating their accomplishment.
This question of their original home is not critical to appreciating their accomplishment.

Answer 1

The statement "Scholars are not sure about the legend but do speculate that the Maori discovered Aotearoa more than 1,000 years ago and that they came by boat from somewhere in the South Pacific." best demonstrates the author's intent to inform the reader.