Working with his dad and brother on land homesteaded by his maternal great-grandparents just after the Civil War, Justin grew up hearing how his grandmothers put wet tea towels in windows to try to keep out the black blizzards of the Dust Bowl. Given responsibility for several fields while still in high school, he'd watched his own soils blowing and washing away, weeds running out of control and paltry yields. But it wasn't until he went off to Kansas State University that he understood a prime cause of that damage: generations of plowing. Though few landscapes appear more beautiful, fertile and orderly than the straight, black, fragrant furrows of a newly tilled field, plowing is unnatural and, in many climates and soils, one of the most destructive things a farmer can do. Plowing strips soil bare, exposing it to erosion by rain and wind. It collapses soil structure - closing off the water channels left by deep roots and worms — and harms life in the soil, which though it may appear dead is in fact Earth's most biodiverse ecosystem, containing a third of all organisms. Those thousands of microbial species are critical to human survival. They sustain photosynthesis, which all food and oxygen come from, by ferrying nutrients to plants and protecting them from pathogens. They decompose wastes, turning corpses of plants and animals back into new life. Use the excerpts to answer the question. Select Passage 1 and Passage 2.

Question

Working with his dad and brother on land homesteaded by his maternal great-grandparents just after the Civil War, Justin grew up hearing how his grandmothers put wet tea towels in windows to try to keep out the black blizzards of the Dust Bowl. Given responsibility for several fields while still in high school, he'd watched his own soils blowing and washing away, weeds running out of control and paltry yields. But it wasn't until he went off to Kansas State University that he understood a prime cause of that damage: generations of plowing. Though few landscapes appear more beautiful, fertile and orderly than the straight, black, fragrant furrows of a newly tilled field, plowing is unnatural and, in many climates and soils, one of the most destructive things a farmer can do. Plowing strips soil bare, exposing it to erosion by rain and wind. It collapses soil structure - closing off the water channels left by deep roots and worms — and harms life in the soil, which though it may appear dead is in fact Earth's most biodiverse ecosystem, containing a third of all organisms. Those thousands of microbial species are critical to human survival. They sustain photosynthesis, which all food and oxygen come from, by ferrying nutrients to plants and protecting them from pathogens. They decompose wastes, turning corpses of plants and animals back into new life. Use the excerpts to answer the question. Select Passage 1 and Passage 2.
In 3-5 sentences, compare and contrast the text structure of the two excepts. Why do you think each author chose to present information in this way?
(4 points)

GPT-4o mini · Answer

Passage 1 employs a narrative structure by recounting Justin's personal experiences growing up on his family's homestead and learning about the effects of plowing as he entered college. This approach creates an emotional connection with the reader through storytelling and allows for a relatable exploration of agricultural challenges. In contrast, Passage 2 utilizes an expository structure, presenting scientific information on the consequences of plowing in a straightforward manner. This method serves to inform the reader about the ecological impacts of farming practices in a clear, factual way. Each author likely chose their respective structures to effectively engage their target audience; Passage 1 draws readers in with a personal story, while Passage 2 aims to educate through structured, evidence-based explanations.