The student wants to emphasize the tardigrade's extraordinary ability to survive extreme conditions. Which choice best uses the notes to accomplish this goal?

Question

While researching, a student took these notes:
• The tardigrade is a microscopic animal often called a water bear.
• It can survive being frozen, boiled, and dried out for years.
• It can even endure the vacuum and radiation of open space.
• Researchers study its proteins to protect vaccines and cells from damage.

Accepted Answer

B. The tardigrade can survive being frozen, boiled, dried out for years, and even exposed to the vacuum and radiation of space.. The goal is to emphasize survival under extreme conditions. Only B piles up the harsh conditions the tardigrade endures. A merely names it, C is vague, and D shifts to a research application rather than the survival itself.

Answer

A. The tardigrade is a microscopic animal that researchers often call a water bear. — This only identifies the tardigrade and its nickname — it names the animal without mentioning a single extreme condition it survives, which is the whole point of the goal.

Answer

C. Researchers study the tardigrade for a number of scientific reasons. — This is too vague to meet the goal: it says researchers study the tardigrade but never states what harsh conditions it endures.

Answer

D. The tardigrade's proteins may help protect vaccines and cells from damage. — This uses the note about proteins and vaccines, which is a research application — the goal asks you to emphasize the animal's own survival, not what scientists do with it.

Expression of Ideas practice question

Answer: B. The tardigrade can survive being frozen, boiled, dried out for years, and even exposed to the vacuum and radiation of space.

Why the other answers are wrong

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