Question

Soil provides essential nutrients to organisms to be able to grow and develop. Soil is

able to move through the environment if it is picked up or carried away by an organism,
water, or wind. The soil however will never grow or develop as it is a constant. Is soil
living or nonliving? How do you know? Select the BEST fit answer supported by the text.

a. Living as it provides nutrients.
b. Living as it is able to move.
c. Nonliving as it cannot grow or develop.
d. Nonliving as it does not have DNA.

Answer 1

Soil is nonliving because it cannot grow or develop independently; it acts as a critical support medium for living organisms but is not alive itself.

Step-by-step explanation:

Soil is considered nonliving despite the fact that it provides essential nutrients and has the ability to move through the environment, as it does not exhibit the characteristics that define living organisms, such as the ability to grow and develop independently, possess DNA, or reproduce. The best fit answer supported by the text is c. Nonliving as it cannot grow or develop. Soils do play a critical role in supporting life by moderating water flow, holding nutrients, and acting as a medium for countless living organisms, but the soil itself is not a living entity.