Question

"A Walk Through the Rainbow with PACE"%0D%0Aby Jessica Merzdorf%0D%0A%0D%0AWhy are there so many songs about rainbows? For NASA’s upcoming Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission, or PACE, the colors of the rainbow — or, if you prefer, the visible wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum — are the key to unlocking a wealth of new data on skies and seas around the world.%0D%0A%0D%0APACE’s high-resolution instruments will see ocean and atmosphere features in unparalleled detail when the mission launches in 2023. By measuring the intensity of the color that exits Earth’s ocean surface, PACE will capture fine details about phytoplankton — tiny plantlike organisms and algae that live in the ocean — that are the basis of the marine food web and generate half of Earth’s oxygen. Beneficial phytoplankton communities fuel fisheries, but harmful algal blooms (HABs) can poison animals and humans and disrupt tourism and fishing industries. . .%0D%0A%0D%0AUnderstanding phytoplankton health can help predict harmful algal blooms, or HABs. When substances from land wash into the ocean, they sometimes become a feast for algae, allowing them to eat, grow and multiply rapidly. HABs can generate harmful toxins that sicken marine wildlife and humans and deplete oxygen in the water as bacteria feed on numerous dead algae.%0D%0A%0D%0A“Harmful algal blooms are not recent. We have writings from indigenous tribes in the Pacific Northwest that talk about things happening on the beach,” said Cetinić. “It’s just that today we’re looking for it more, and also anthropogenic influences are making blooms more prevalent.”%0D%0A%0D%0A1 of 2%0D%0AQuestion%0D%0AUse this excerpt from the “A Walk Through the Rainbow with PACE” article to answer the question.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhich statement represents an inference drawn from the text? Select the two correct answers.%0D%0A%0D%0A(1 point)%0D%0AResponses%0D%0A%0D%0AHABs are caused by a number of natural and human-made factors.%0D%0AHABs are caused by a number of natural and human-made factors.%0D%0A%0D%0AHumans have documented the existence of HABs over the course of history.%0D%0AHumans have documented the existence of HABs over the course of history.%0D%0A%0D%0APhytoplankton serves as a food source for many kinds of marine life.%0D%0APhytoplankton serves as a food source for many kinds of marine life.%0D%0A%0D%0AHumans have an economic incentive to study and prevent the growth of HABs.%0D%0AHumans have an economic incentive to study and prevent the growth of HABs.%0D%0A%0D%0AUnderstanding phytoplankton is critical to protecting global ecosystems.%0D%0AUnderstanding phytoplankton is critical to protecting global ecosystems.

Answer 1

Based on the text from the “A Walk Through the Rainbow with PACE” article, the two correct inferences drawn from the text are:

1. HABs are caused by a number of natural and human-made factors.
   This inference is supported by the statement about anthropogenic influences making blooms more prevalent.

2. Humans have an economic incentive to study and prevent the growth of HABs.
   This inference can be made considering that harmful algal blooms can disrupt tourism and fishing industries, indicating economic consequences that would encourage monitoring and prevention.

The other options, while they might be true, are not directly supported or inferred from the text.