Use the two passages to answer the question. Have you ever seen a sea turtle, whale, shark, or dolphin? Even if you have only seen pictures online, you can see how cute all of these creatures are. Well, they are in danger. So many of them are killed every year because of plastic waste. From people throwing away single-use water bottles to companies using a ton of plastic to make their products, we can all do better. Scientists are finding creatures like fish and sea birds with their stomachs filled with indigestible plastic. We have to change this, starting today! Oceans cover 71 percent of Earth’s surface, and they are where most of Earth’s water comes from. Because of this, they are one of our greatest natural resources. Unfortunately, around 8 million metric tons of plastic enters our oceans each year. We all need to do more to save our oceans from this type of pollution. Fortunately, there are groups like the Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, and the Lonely Whale Foundation. They are all dedicated to helping this issue. A student is researching the impact of plastic waste. Write a paragraph that compares and contrasts the two passages. Explain which passage would be better for the student to use and why.

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The two passages both address the critical issue of plastic waste and its detrimental effects on marine life, emphasizing the alarming statistics surrounding pollution in the oceans. Both highlight the threats faced by sea creatures like sea turtles, whales, sharks, and dolphins, as well as the role of human activities in exacerbating this problem. However, the first passage focuses more on the emotional appeal of the creatures and the vivid imagery of their cuteness, along with a call to action for individuals to change their habits. The second passage likely provides more scientific data and specific information about the organizations working to combat plastic pollution, making it more information-driven. For a student researching the impact of plastic waste, the second passage would be more beneficial as it likely contains detailed statistics and references to specific organizations and their efforts, providing a stronger foundation for understanding the issue and supporting arguments in their research.