Question

Select the correct text in the passage. which detail best supports the author’s claim that the narwhal is best known for its tusk? excerpt adapted from the unicorn of the sea by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration the narwhal is a toothed whale, but it is different from all other toothed whales in that it has no teeth in its mouth. instead, male narwhals have a single, long, straight tooth (or tusk) that protrudes two to three meters out of the upper left jaw. females almost never have a tusk. the tooth grows in a counterclockwise spiral. it is this tusk for which narwhals are best known. there are many legends about the tusk of the narwhal. it is essentially the origin of the myth of the unicorn—european whalers that were in the arctic would catch narwhals and bring tusks back to europe with great stories about what kind of animals the tusks were attached to. but in terms of the biology of the animal, the tusk is actually used for social structure, to establish hierarchies of dominance for the males within narwhal pods. narwhals have a black-and-white mottled skin pattern and are white underneath. the scientific name for these whales, monodon monoceros, means "one tooth, one horn." not very much is known about narwhals, largely because they are difficult to study. they live in remote places, far from civilization, in a habitat that is dark for one half the year, covered in ice for the other half of the year, and not easy to access.

Answer 1

The detail mentioning the male narwhal's long, protruding tusk best supports the claim that narwhals are known for their tusks.

Step-by-step explanation:

The detail that best supports the author's claim that the narwhal is best known for its tusk is: "Instead, male narwhals have a single, long, straight tooth (or tusk) that protrudes two to three meters out of the upper left jaw." This unique physical characteristic is the most prominent and distinctive feature of the narwhal, making it the reason for their fame and the association with legendary unicorns.

Answer 2

The narwhal is best known for its tusk, which is a single, straight tooth that protrudes from the upper left jaw of males.

Step-by-step explanation:

• The detail that best supports the author's claim that the narwhal is best known for its tusk is: it is this tusk for which narwhals are best known.
• The passage states that narwhals are toothed whales but different from other toothed whales in that they have no teeth in their mouth. Instead, male narwhals have a single, long, straight tooth or tusk that is well-known.
• The tusk is also described as the origin of the myth of the unicorn.
• Therefore, the tusk is the most notable characteristic of the narwhal.