A Wetland Habitat

"Wetlands serve important purposes for humans."

What information from the passage supports this statement?

• Wetlands have historically been regarded as centers of disease and insect infestation.

• Wetlands can protect people from storms and help them earn a living through fishing.

• Louisiana is located at the drainage gateway where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico.

• Hurricane Katrina caused more than 1,800 casualties, including over 700 in New Orleans.

The author most likely mentions the amount of damage Hurricane Katrina caused Louisiana to-

• show outrage at the situation the state is in.

• describe the current state of the wetlands in Louisiana.

• depict the damage that could have been saved by the declining wetlands.

• show the reader the other problems the state of Louisiana has had.

Read the following sentence:

“Chances are, however, when you envisioned a swamp (or a marsh or a bog), you conjured up an image of a rather unpleasant place: creepy and shadowy, muddy, overrun with snakes and insects.”

What does the word swamp mean in the sentence above?

• a piece of land that is partly covered by water

• a state that is on the Gulf of Mexico

• a job related to the hunting or fishing industry

• an animal species that is in danger of dying out

Destruction of wetlands is an effect. What is one of its causes?

• Regulation has been an important tool in protecting wetlands.

• Wetlands have been drained and converted to farmland.

• Many species of migratory birds depend on the wetlands.

• Louisiana has some of the most extensive wetlands in the United States.

The author included paragraph 3 most likely to-

• show the reader how fast time has passed in the wetlands.

• chronicle the history of wetlands in Louisiana.

• contrast how people have seen wetlands in the past.

• illustrate one of the causes of the wetlands decline in popularity.

What is a wetland?

• a business that makes its money from hunting or fishing

• a city on a coast where floods occur, often resulting in the loss of human life

• a "no net loss" policy requiring the amount of something to remain constant or increase

• an area of land that is filled or covered with water for at least part of the year

How have attitudes about wetlands changed in recent decades?

• People have become less willing to regulate the destruction of wetlands than they used to be.

• People have become more concerned about the threat of disease from wetlands than they used to be.

• People have become more interested in protecting wetlands than they used to be.

• People have become less interested in protecting wetlands than they used to be.

What is this passage mainly about?

• Louisiana

• Hurricane Katrina

• malaria

• wetlands

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

For years people wanted to avoid or destroy wetlands; ______, many people want to save wetlands.

• previously

• currently (today)

• in closing

• as an illustration

What is happening to Louisiana's wetlands?

• It is disappearing

• It is getting larger