Question 2 - 11th Grade English Language Arts and Literacy: Writing Practice Test for the SBAC

Read the attached passage and then answer this question about it.

Which simile could the author use in the attached passage to help the reader better understand this topic?

A student is writing an informational essay about the impact of global warming on polar bears in the Arctic.

As climate change and the effects of global warming are felt worldwide, scientists have determined that polar bears in the Arctic are just one of the many species facing extinction from our rapidly warming planet. As the ocean waters warm, the main food source for the bears is disappearing. Shortages of food are literally causing these creatures to die of starvation.

Whereas bears could previously walk out onto the sea ice and wait for a seal to poke its snout through, shrinking sea ice means the bears must now walk or swim much farther than they did before to find food. These longer migrations to find food are taking their toll on the bear population.

Seals are a polar bear’s main source of protein. They are also another victim of global warming. With the sea ice melting earlier in the warmer springtime and forming later in the warmer winters, seals struggle with finding a safe place to raise their pups. As a result, their numbers are starting to drop, meaning they are also no longer a plentiful food source for the bears.

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