Question

"Useless Creatures" by Richard Conniff Finally, there is the unavoidable problem that most wildlife species — honey badgers, blobfish, red-tailed hawks, monarch butterflies, hellbenders — are always going to be “useless,” or occasionally annoying, from a human perspective. And even when they do turn out, by some quirk, to be useful, that’s typically incidental to what makes them interesting. Cuttlefish do not fascinate because their skin may suggest new forms of military camouflage, but because of the fantastic light shows that sometimes play across their flanks. Spider web silk doesn’t intrigue because somebody can turn it into bandages, but because of the astonishing things spiders can do with it — stringing a line across a stream and running trotlines down the surface to catch water striders, for instance, or (in the case of the species named mastophora dizzydeani) flinging a ball of silk on a thread like a spitball to snag moths out of the air. Use the passage to answer the question. For each piece of evidence, select “Yes” or “No” to indicate whether it would be relevant to the claim in the passage. (2 points) Yes No a description of a multicolored feather on a peacock a description of a cozy sweater made from sheep wool a description of a gleaming pearl inside an oyster shell a description of a feeder being visited by a hummingbird

Answer 1

To determine the relevance of each piece of evidence to the claim in the passage regarding the "useless" or incidental usefulness of wildlife species from a human perspective, we can analyze each option:

1. A description of a multicolored feather on a peacock - Yes. This relates to the fascinating aspects of wildlife that capture interest beyond their practical uses, aligning with the passage's focus on interesting traits in animals.

2. A description of a cozy sweater made from sheep wool - No. This example emphasizes a practical human use of sheep rather than showcasing the interest or uniqueness of the animal itself.

3. A description of a gleaming pearl inside an oyster shell - No. Like the sweater, this highlights a useful product derived from wildlife rather than the intriguing nature of the oyster itself, which is what the passage discusses.

4. A description of a feeder being visited by a hummingbird - Yes. This can illustrate an interesting behavior of wildlife that captivates human attention, contributing to the discussion about fascinating aspects of animals.

So the answers are:

• A description of a multicolored feather on a peacock: Yes
• A description of a cozy sweater made from sheep wool: No
• A description of a gleaming pearl inside an oyster shell: No
• A description of a feeder being visited by a hummingbird: Yes