Question

To be called a desert, a place must get fewer than ten inches of rain in a year. That is the only requirement. A very dry desert may get only half an inch of water each year, and the water is from fog, not rain. In a hot desert, such as the Sahara in northern Africa, the temperature can go up to 122 degrees. But the Gobi Desert in Asia can get as cold as 40 degrees below zero. And the desert in Antarctica--yes, there is desert in Antarctica--never gets anywhere close to hot. Deserts are on every continent. They cover one-fifth of the earth’s land. Many people think a desert is a barren and lonely place where few living things can survive for long. But that’s wrong. A great variety of plants and animals live and thrive in the desert.

Think about the facts in these paragraphs. Based on the facts, which statement is NOT correct?

(2 points)
Responses

Deserts are located on all continents.
Deserts are located on all continents.

Deserts can be hot or cold
Deserts can be hot or cold

Deserts are barren places with no living things
Deserts are barren places with no living things

Deserts get little or no rain.

Answer 1

The statement that is NOT correct is:

**Deserts are barren places with no living things.**

The text specifies that a great variety of plants and animals live and thrive in the desert, contradicting the notion that deserts are barren.