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Expression of IdeasMediumEmphasising weight with a comparison

Expression of Ideas practice question

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: - The blue whale is the largest animal known to have lived. - It can reach about 30 metres in length. - It can weigh up to 180 tonnes, roughly the weight of 30 elephants. - Its heart is about the size of a small car.

The student wants to emphasise how heavy a blue whale is. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

  1. A. A blue whale can weigh up to 180 tonnes — roughly as much as thirty elephants.Correct
  2. B. A blue whale can reach about 30 metres in length.
  3. C. A blue whale's heart is about the size of a small car.
  4. D. A blue whale weighs about as much as a single elephant.

Answer: A. A blue whale can weigh up to 180 tonnes — roughly as much as thirty elephants.

The weight plus the elephant comparison — choice A makes the mass vivid.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. A blue whale can reach about 30 metres in length.
Length isn't weight.
C. A blue whale's heart is about the size of a small car.
The heart's size says something about scale but not about total weight.
D. A blue whale weighs about as much as a single elephant.
The notes say thirty elephants, not one.

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