Question

Mangroves are the amphibians of the plant world. They straddle the land and sea, with roots that extend into salt water and house a variety of wildlife. Which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion?

1) By having roots that extend into salt water and housing a variety of wildlife
2) Since they straddle the land and sea, with roots that extend into salt water that house a variety of wildlife
3) Straddling the land and sea, with roots that extend into salt water and housing a variety of wildlife
4) With roots that extend into salt water, they house a variety of wildlife

Answer 1

Option 3) Straddling the land and sea, with roots that extend into salt water and housing a variety of wildlife.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most effective choice to combine the sentences at the underlined portion is option 3) Straddling the land and sea, with roots that extend into salt water and housing a variety of wildlife.

This choice effectively combines the two ideas by using a participle phrase at the beginning of the sentence to describe the action of the mangroves and their roots.