The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Which statement below is the main idea of the article, “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”?

• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is double the size of Texas.

• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is too difficult to clean up.

• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is harming sea life and needs our help.

• Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic.

Which of the following is not a reason that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was formed?

• People sometimes do not throw their trash in the proper bins.

• Scientists broke down the plastics to study the harmful affects to sea life.

• Fishing boats have lost plastic fishing equipment and nets in the water.

• The water currents have carried the garbage to the North Pacific Gyre.

According to the article, what is one reason it is so difficult to clean up the Garbage Patch?

• Nations around the world are not interested in cleaning it up.

• The Garbage Patch is not a big enough problem to worry about yet.

• Scientists believe the Garbage Patch will eventually flow away with the current.

• The cost to clean up the Garbage Patch is too much for one nation to handle.

Which evidence from the article supports your answer to the previous question?

• Due to the size and location, no nation will take the responsibility or pay the massive expense of cleaning it.

• Over time, the garbage breaks down due to the wind, rain, and waves.

• We can help by preventing more garbage from getting in our waterways.

• Plastic is not biodegradable which means they never completely break down over time.

According to the article, what does biodegradable mean?

• Biodegradable items are the items that are found in the Garbage patch.

• Biodegradable items are those that will completely break down over time.

• Biodegradable items are those items that are only used by fishermen.

• Biodegradable items are those items that never fully break down.

Which sentence from the article provides a detail to support your answer to the previous question?

• 1. Many of these tiny particles are the same size as small sea animals. 

• 1. Never throw trash out of boats or alongside roadways. 

• 1. The sea creatures are essential to the ocean’s food web. 

• 1. Plastic is not biodegradable which means they never completely break down over time.