Topsoil Essay

How do you organize your essay?

• Start with the conclusion, followed by the introduction, and end with the body paragraphs.
• Start with a conclusion, followed by body paragraphs, and end with an introduction.
• Organize the essay with only body paragraphs and skip the introduction and conclusion.
• Start with an introduction, followed by body paragraphs, and end with a conclusion.

Prompt:

You have read two passages about studies on U.S top soil

“The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil” by Becca Dzombak

“Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil” by Meg Wilcox

Write an essay analyzing each author’s purpose in describing the studies of topsoil, and compare the information each author presented in the passages. Remember to use evidence from both passages to support your response.

Which one of the answer choices CORRECTLY unpacks the prompt?

• 1. 1. Write an essay

  2. 2. Cite evidence

  3. 3. Explain the prompt

  4. 4. Use transitional phrases

• 1. State the author's purpose

  2. compare the information

  3. cite evidence

  4. 4. use transitional phrases

• 1. 1. State the author's purpose

  2. compare the information

  3. cite evidence

  4. 4.Explain and connect the evidence

• 1. State the author's purpose

  2. compare the information

  3. cite evidence

  4. 4.Explain the main idea

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Which one of these sentences best states the author’s purpose in “The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil” by Becca Dzombak

• In "The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil" Dzombak explains the significant loss of topsoil in the Corn Belt region of the United States and presents research to support the claim.

• In "The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil" Dzombak informs readers about the significant loss of topsoil in the nation's corn belt.

• In "The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil" Dzombak entertains readers with stories about the nation's corn belt

• In "The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil" Dzombak criticizes the nation's corn belt for its loss of topsoil

• In "The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil" Dzombak states the cause of significant loss of topsoil in the Corn Belt region of the United States and presents several possible solutions.

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Which two pieces of evidence best support the author’s purpose in “The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil” by Becca Dzombak?

• "The study estimated that about 35 percent of the region has lost its topsoil completely, leaving carbon-poor lower soil layers to do the work of supporting crops. "

• "Rick Cruse, an agronomy professor at Iowa State University whose research on soil erosion includes remote sensing and satellite imagery, found Thaler’s results to be reasonable."

• "Thaler and colleagues used soil color from satellite imagery to track which areas of Corn Belt fields were lighter or darker."

• "Andrea Basche, an agronomy professor at the University of Nebraska who has used aerial imagery of fields at smaller scales, says the 35 percent estimate may be a little high and that verifying modeling results on the ground by surveying soils in person is important."

• "The Corn Belt and other agricultural regions in the United States have been heavily farmed for hundreds of years, during which both climate and agricultural methods changed."

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Which one of these sentences best states the author’s purpose in “Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil” by Meg Wilcox?

• In “Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil” Wilcox describes the research on carbon levels in soil and possible solutions to regenerating the carbon levels. 

• In “Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil” Wilcox explains how to regenerate carbon levels in soil and the causes of topsoil loss. 

• In “Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil” Wilcox explains the challenges of regenerating carbon levels in soil and how topsoil loss affects plants. 

• In “Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil” Wilcox explains how to regenerate carbon levels in soil and the challenges companies face to rebuild it.

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Which three pieces of evidence best support the author’s purpose in “Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil” by Meg Wilcox?

• “Getting farmers up to speed on the tools has taken time and effort, and eventually, Stonyfield will need to roll out the system to hundreds of suppliers.”

• “Lundgren is wrestling now with how to structure Stonyfield’s incentive program so that it has enough funding to motivate its farmers to participate and eventually change practices while weighing the cumulative cost to the company if all 250 farms participate.”

• “...We don’t have good economic data on the costs of changing to different systems, and the potential benefits of having done that.”

• "It’s trained farmers on various software tools for tracking farm management practices and soil health that they’ll need to master to receive carbon payments."

• “The farm’s soil carbon storage opportunities will therefore come from their rotational grazing practices and the perennial grass species they plant and harvest.”

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What are the similarities between “The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil” by Becca Dzombak and “Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil” by Meg Wilcox?

• The focus on the negative effects of deforestation on soil quality

• The focus on the benefits of using synthetic fertilizers in agriculture

• The focus on the impact of agricultural practices on soil health and the environment

• The focus on protecting soil resources and promoting sustainable land management practices

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What are some differences between “The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil” by Becca Dzombak and “Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil” by Meg Wilcox?

• The focus of 'The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil' is on topsoil loss in the Corn Belt region, while 'Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil' discusses efforts to sequester carbon in soil.
• “The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil” focuses on the problem of topsoil loss and its consequences, providing statistics and expert opinions to illustrate the severity of soil erosion

• The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil' discusses carbon sequestration, while 'Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil' discusses the impact of pesticides on soil health.
• The Nation’s Corn Belt Has Lost a Third of Its Topsoil' emphasizes the importance of crop rotation, while 'Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil' emphasizes the use of genetically modified organisms.
• “Large Food Companies are Looking to Lock Carbon in Soil” highlights solutions and initiatives aimed at addressing the issue, offering examples of corporate commitments and partnerships to promote soil health and carbon sequestration.

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