Question

The next question refers to This Mystery Rocks! by Cynthia Schlagel.

The sentences have been numbered to help you identify them more easily.
This Mystery Rocks! By Cyntha Schlagel
The Drifting Rocks are a strange phenomenon still unexplained by science. Located in
Death Valley, California, the rocks sit on hot, flat ground. Unlike normal rocks, they
have trails etched behind them as if they have traveled across the sand. Some trails are
only a few feet. Some trails are over a half a mile long. Each trail is as baffling as the
next.
The variety of rock movement has baffled scientists for decades. Some rocks seem to
roll as they move forward. Some take unexplainable routes. 1° Large ones have
traveled past small ones that have stayed still. 11Some scientists suggest that the rocks
are pushed by wind. 12Others believe they slide on small amounts of ice or mud. 13 So
far, research has not confirmed any theory
Which sentence best identifies the main idea of paragraph two? (4 points)

Answer 1

Which sentence best identifies the main idea of paragraph two?

a. Scientists are baffled by the different ways the rocks move.

b. Scientists are confused by the different ways the rocks move, and theories involving wind, ice, and mud have not been confirmed.

c. Scientists have theories of how the rocks move.

d. The rocks have stumped scientists because some roll, some take unexplainable routes, and some have traveled past ones that have stayed still, but scientists have theories that the rocks are pushed by wind or that they slide on ice or mud.

Answer:

The sentence that best identifies the main idea of paragraph two is:

b. Scientists are confused by the different ways the rocks move, and theories involving wind, ice, and mud have not been confirmed.

Explanation:

Sentences A and C are incomplete on their own. Paragraph two discusses both of them, not just one or the other. Sentence D, on the other hand, does not express the main idea. It actually offers details and is, by itself, a paragraph.

Answer 2

Your question is missing the options. I've found them online, they are as follows:

Which sentence best identifies the main idea of paragraph two?

a. Scientists are baffled by the different ways the rocks move.

b. Scientists are confused by the different ways the rocks move, and theories involving wind, ice, and mud have not been confirmed.

c. Scientists have theories of how the rocks move.

d. The rocks have stumped scientists because some roll, some take unexplainable routes, and some have traveled past ones that have stayed still, but scientists have theories that the rocks are pushed by wind or that they slide on ice or mud.

Answer:

The sentence that best identifies the main idea of paragraph two is:

b. Scientists are confused by the different ways the rocks move, and theories involving wind, ice, and mud have not been confirmed.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sentences A and C are incomplete on their own. Paragraph two discusses both of them, not just one or the other. Sentence D, on the other hand, does not express the main idea. It actually offers details and is, by itself, a paragraph. Sentence B is the best option since it expresses, in a succinct way, what paragraph two discusses: how scientists are confused and what theories they have come up with.