Which is the best paraphrase of the first paragraph? a. after school, jade tells her cousin karla to try out for the step team. b. jade cares about her cousin karla and makes a suggestion to her. c. karla listens as her cousin jade tells her about being on the step team. d. karla hears the bell ring and runs into her cousin jade.

Read this passage from "the city without us" by alan weisman: which statement best explains how the structure of the passage supports the author's purpose? a. the passage traces several events in the order that they will occur to highlight how nature conquers human civilization. b. the passage shows that natural forces such as an absence of predators and an increase in the squirrel population can lead to destructive results. c. the passage shows that natural forms such as an absence of predators and human hunters can lead to the reforestation of new york city. d. the passage identifies how two natural forces are co-dependent - the deforestation of new york and the extinction of squirrels.