Astronomer Dr. Yuki Tanaka studies exoplanets, which are planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. In a recent interview, Tanaka explained, “Two decades ago, we had confirmed fewer than 100 exoplanets. Today, thanks to missions like Kepler and TESS, that number has grown to more than 5,000. Each discovery helps us understand the incredible variety of planetary systems in our galaxy.”

Which quotation from the text best supports the claim that the pace of exoplanet discovery has increased dramatically?

The city of Venice, Italy, is built on more than 100 small islands connected by bridges and canals. Because the city sits on soft, marshy ground, its buildings have been slowly sinking for centuries. In recent decades, rising sea levels have made flooding more frequent and severe. To address the problem, engineers completed a system of movable flood barriers in 2020 that can be raised to block exceptionally high tides from entering the city’s lagoon.

Which quotation from the text best supports the claim that Venice has taken concrete steps to protect itself from flooding?

The monarch butterfly migrates up to 3,000 miles each fall from Canada and the northern United States to forests in central Mexico. Scientists have long wondered how the butterflies navigate so precisely to a destination they have never visited before. Recent studies suggest that monarchs use a built-in sun compass located in their antennae, which tracks the sun’s position throughout the day and adjusts for the time, allowing the insects to maintain a consistent southwesterly direction.

Which quotation from the text best supports the claim that monarch butterflies rely on a biological mechanism to navigate during migration?

In the early 1900s, the American chestnut tree dominated forests across the eastern United States, making up roughly one in every four hardwood trees. Then a fungal disease called chestnut blight arrived from imported Asian chestnut trees and spread rapidly. By the 1950s, the blight had killed an estimated 3.5 billion American chestnuts. Today, researchers are developing blight-resistant varieties by crossbreeding American chestnuts with their naturally resistant Chinese relatives.

Which quotation from the text best supports the claim that chestnut blight had a devastating impact on American forests?

Marine biologist Dr. Aisha Conteh has spent years studying the intelligence of octopuses. In a recent lecture, Conteh shared, “We placed octopuses in tanks with screw-top jars containing food inside. Within minutes, every octopus figured out how to unscrew the lid. Some even learned to open childproof pill bottles after watching a demonstration only once. These results suggest a level of problem-solving ability that rivals many vertebrates.”

Which quotation from the text best supports the claim that octopuses can learn by observing others?