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Verbal·Expression of Ideas·Rhetorical Synthesis

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While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• The Galiuro Mountains are a mountain range located in the southwestern United States.
• The range is one of the dozens of “sky islands” in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico.
• A sky island is an isolated mountain range whose environment differs drastically from that of the surrounding lowlands.
• The US Forest Service (USFS) said, “The mountains are ‘islands’ surrounded by deserts that are ‘seas.’”
• The USFS said, “Each Sky Island is a unique ecosystem.”

The student wants to explain what a sky island is. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A

The Galiuro Mountains are an isolated mountain range located in the southwestern United States whose environment differs drastically from that of the surrounding lowlands.

B

The USFS considers the Galiuro Mountains to be a “unique ecosystem.”

C

The Galiuro Mountains, which are considered to be a sky island, are located in the southwestern US.

D

A sky island is an isolated mountain range, such as the Galiuro Mountains in the southwestern US, whose environment differs drastically from that of the surrounding lowlands.