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?

What function does the information about temperature differences in the last ice age play in the paragraph?

a. Topic
b. Opinion
c. Main idea
d. Supporting detail

Answer 1

The information about the last ice age is a supporting detail used to underline the severe impacts that even small changes in global temperatures can have on Earth's climate.

Step-by-step explanation:

The information about temperature differences during the last ice age serves as a supporting detail in the paragraph. This historical data is used to illustrate the potential magnitude of the current situation by comparing it to a period when global temperatures were only about five degrees Celsius lower than today, yet that was enough to bury much of the northern hemisphere under huge sheets of ice. The mention of the last ice age emphasizes the point that even seemingly minor changes in global temperatures can have major climatic consequences, drawing a parallel with the predicted future warming of two to six degrees Celsius by 2100 and the potential drastic impacts this could have on our planet.