Question

Practice and Apply With a partner, review the text and identify three other

scientific terms in Kingsolver's essay. With each word you choose, follow these steps:
1. Define each term. You may consult a glossary, college-level dictionary, or
specialized reference source, but write the definition in your own words.
2. Provide an example of how the term is used in the essay and explain its
significance to Kingsolver's central ideas and her purpose for writing.
3. Use each word you chose in a sentence.

Answer 1

1. Biome: A biome is a large-scale terrestrial ecological community characterized by its distinctive climate and vegetation. In Kingsolver's essay, she uses the term 'biome' to refer to the environment of the American Southwest, and its impact on the lives of the people living there. Example: The hot, dry biome of the American Southwest makes it difficult for many species to survive in the area.

2. Biodiversity: Biodiversity is the variety of life in an area, including both the number and the range of species, communities, and ecosystems. Kingsolver's essay focuses on how human activity is causing the loss of biodiversity in the American Southwest.

Example: The biodiversity of the American Southwest is being endangered due to human activity such as overgrazing and climate change.

3. Decimation: Decimation is the act of reducing something severely or to one tenth of its original size. Kingsolver uses the term in her essay to describe the effect of drought on the desert ecology of the American Southwest, noting that it has decimated the population of birds and other wildlife. Example: The recent droughts have decimated the bird population in the American Southwest.