Revising: Glaciers

What is the best way to revise sentence 3?

• Today glaciers cover with slow-moving masses of ice and snow about 10 percent of Earth’s land areas.
• Today glaciers and slow-moving masses of ice and snow cover about 10 percent of Earth’s land areas.
• Today glaciers cover about 10 percent of Earth’s land areas, they are slow-moving masses of ice and snow.
•  Today glaciers, slow-moving masses of ice and snow, cover about 10 percent of Earth’s land areas.

The transition from sentence 9 to sentence 10 is not clear. How can Anthony revise sentence 10 to create a more effective transition?

•  As it moves, the glacier takes rocks and pieces of land along with it.
• Taking rocks and pieces of land along with it, the glacier moves along.
• This movement, which takes rocks, takes pieces of land along with it.
• To move rocks, it takes pieces of land along with it.

Anthony wants to tell more about the idea he expressed in sentence 14. Which of the following sentences would best follow and support sentence 14?

• They tell about the atmosphere and the types of life that might have been present when the glacier was formed.
• They hold information about the past just like a little time capsule would.
• These bubbles are found in the glaciers themselves.
• Glaciers are most likely to form in areas with freezing temperatures and an abundance of snowfall.

Anthony would like to add the following detail to the fifth paragraph (sentences 15–20).
If this pattern of retreat continues at its present rate, many glaciers will be gone within just a few decades.
Read the paragraph carefully. Where is the most appropriate place to add this sentence?

•  After sentence 15
•  After sentence 16
•  After sentence 17
•  After sentence 20

Anthony has written an awkward closing sentence. How can he revise sentence 23 to provide a more effective closing for his paper?

• They are of our past, present, and future, these majestic mountains of ice.
•  These majestic mountains of ice are an important part of our past, present, and future.
• Our past, present, and future are an important part of these majestic mountains of ice.
• An important part of our past, present, and future, these majestic mountains of ice.