Question

Please read the text below and answer the following question.

A global temperature change of a few degrees is more significant than it may seem at first glance. This is not merely a change in weather in any one location. Rather, it is an average change in temperatures around the entire surface of the planet. It takes a vast amount of heat energy to warm every part of our world-including oceans, air, and land-by even a tiny measurable amount. Moreover, relatively small changes in the earth's surface temperatures have historically caused enormous changes in climate. In the last ice age 20,000 years ago, when much of the northern hemisphere was buried under huge sheets of ice, mean global temperatures were only about five degrees Celsius lower than they are now. Scientists predict a temperature rise of two to six degrees Celsius by 2100. What if this causes similarly drastic changes to the world we call home?

In the paragraph above, global temperature change is:

a. the topic.
b. the main idea.
c. a supporting detail.
d. the topic sentence.

Answer 1

The main idea of the paragraph is global temperature change, which highlights the significance of even small changes in average temperatures on the Earth's climate.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the provided paragraph, global temperature change is the main idea. The entire paragraph discusses the significance of a seemingly minimal change in average temperatures and what historical and potential future effects these changes can have on the climate of our planet.

A few degrees of change can have drastic consequences, as evidenced by the last ice age and the predicted temperature rise of two to six degrees Celsius by 2100, which may lead to further significant changes to our environment.