Several hundred years ago, the ancestral population of Pima Indians split into two tribes. One branch moved to Arizona and adopted the American diet and lifestyle; the typical Pima of Arizona gets as much exercise as the average American and also eats a high-fat, low-fiber diet, similar to most Americans. Unfortunately, the health consequences for them are more severe than they are for most Americansclose to 60 of the Arizona Pima are obese and diabetic. In contrast, the Pima of New Mexico maintained their ancestral farming life and their diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber. The Pima of New Mexico also engage in physical labor close to 22 hours per week and are 60 pounds lighter than their Arizona cousins. Consequently, diabetes is virtually unheard of.
The purpose of the paragraph is
a. to entertain the reader with a story about the Pima Indians.
b. to persuade the reader to adapt the diet and lifestyle of the Pima Indians.
c. to describe the effects that diet and exercise have on the lives of the two tribes of Pima Indians.
The tone of the passage is
a. serious and inspiring.
b. gloomy and pessimistic.
c. descriptive and optimistic.
Question 2
For most of our history, the population of humans has remained at very low levels. The most widely accepted estimates indicate that there were about 5 million humans at the beginning of the agricultural era, about 10,000 years ago; about 100 million during the Egyptian empire 7,000 years later; and about 250 million at the dawn of the Christian religion in 1 C.E. (C.E. refers to Common Era, the year designation used by most Western countries). The population was growing, but at a very slow rateapproximately 0.1 per year. Beginning around 1750, the rate at which the human population was growing jumped to about 2 per year. The human population reached 1 billion in 1800, had doubled to 2 billion by 1930, and had doubled again to 4 billion by 1970 . Although the current growth rate is slower, about 1.2 per year, the rapid increase in population looks quite dramatic on a graph of human population over time.
The purpose of the paragraph is
a. to explain to the reader why the rate of population growth is slow.
b. to discuss the reasons why the human population has not been increasing at a faster pace.
c. to inform the reader that although population rates have varied over the years, the increase has been dramatic.
The tone of the passage is
a. critical. b. objective. c. disbelieving.
Population predictions for 2000–2050, using three different total fertility rates (
Body size and population density of herbivorous mammals
Distribution of glaciers in North America (a) in the late twentieth century, and (b) 18,000 years ag
In American Progress (1872), John Gast depicts a feminized (and eroticized) America moving westward,
Population growth rate %
Typical bacterial population growth curve showing the initial lag phase