Question

"Useless Creatures" by Richard Conniff

For each piece of evidence, select "Yes" or "No" to indicate whether it would be relevant to the claim in the passage.

1. a description of a multicolored feather on a peacock:_
2. a description of a cozy sweater made from sheep wool:_
3. a description of a gleaming pearl inside an oyster shell:_
4. a description of a feeder being visited by a
hummingbird:_

a. Yes
b. No

Answer 1

To assess the relevance of each piece of evidence to the claim in "Useless Creatures" by Richard Conniff, we need to consider the context of the passage, which discusses creatures that may appear useless but have unique or unexpected benefits or roles in their ecosystems.

1. A description of a multicolored feather on a peacock: **a. Yes** - This could illustrate a point about the beauty and evolutionary advantages of certain traits.

2. A description of a cozy sweater made from sheep wool: **b. No** - This is more about human use of animals rather than an evaluation of the animal itself.

3. A description of a gleaming pearl inside an oyster shell: **a. Yes** - This could relate to how oysters, despite being seen as simple creatures, produce valuable pearls.

4. A description of a feeder being visited by a hummingbird: **a. Yes** - This could demonstrate the ecological role of hummingbirds and their contribution to pollination, illustrating a point about creatures that appear 'useless' but have significant roles.

Here’s the summary of the assessments:

1. a. Yes
2. b. No
3. a. Yes
4. a. Yes