Abel Read the excerpt from chapter 8 of The Travels of Marco
Polo
Why does the author include information about the dry
climate?
to explain why the sheep have horns but no ears
X to explain why the sheep in the region are so small
to explain why people in the region have to feed their
animals fish
to explain why there are such large quantities of fish
available
They have sheep here that have no ears, nor even ear-
holes; but in the place where ears ought to be they have
little horns. They are small creatures and very pretty. And
here is something else that may strike you as marvelous:
their domestic animals-sheep, oxen, camels, and little
ponies—are fed on fish. They are reduced to this diet
because in all this country and in all the surrounding
regions there is no grass; but it is the driest place in the
world. The fish on which these animals feed are very
small and are caught in March, April, and May in
quantities that are truly amazing. They are then dried and
stored in the houses and given to the animals as food
throughout the year. I can tell you further that the animals
also eat them alive, as soon as they are drawn out of the
water.