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Difficulty: MediumEstablishing Introductions and Thesis Statements

[1]
_____________________________. For decades, the vast wetlands were viewed as nothing more than a useless, disease-ridden swamp that hindered progress. Under the banner of development, developers and politicians sought to drain the land to build farms and cities. This widespread perception persisted until Marjory Stoneman Douglas published her seminal book, *The Everglades: River of Grass*, in 1947. Her writing completely redefined the region not as a stagnant marsh, but as a dynamic, free-flowing river crucial to Florida's ecological survival.

[2]
Douglas’s advocacy went far beyond the page. She founded the Friends of the Everglades, mobilizing citizens to fight against destructive projects such as a proposed jetport in the middle of the wetlands. Her efforts helped secure the preservation of the unique habitat, which is home to rare species like the Florida panther and the West Indian manatee. Today, her work remains a foundational pillar of modern wetland conservation.

The writer wants to begin the passage with a sentence that introduces the main topic and sets up the discussion of how public perception of the Everglades shifted. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

  1. A
    In the early twentieth century, developers wanted to drain the Everglades, they viewed the wetlands as useless swamps.
  2. B
    While many people now appreciate the Everglades, early developers' efforts to drain the region was motivated by profit.
  3. Before the mid-twentieth century, the Florida Everglades were widely misunderstood and actively targeted for destruction.Answer
  4. D
    The Florida Everglades is a subtropical wetland that spans over two million acres across the southern portion of the state.

Answer

Before the mid-twentieth century, the Florida Everglades were widely misunderstood and actively targeted for destruction.
The statement about the historical misunderstanding and targeted destruction of the Everglades is correct because it is grammatically accurate and establishes the central focus of the passage, preparing the reader for the discussion of how public perception transitioned from seeing the area as a useless swamp to an ecosystem worth saving.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the passage to identify the central theme and the role of the introductory sentence.
The passage discusses the shift from viewing the Everglades as a useless swamp to recognizing its ecological importance, largely due to Marjory Stoneman Douglas's work.
This establishes that the correct introduction must set up the historical misunderstanding and targeted destruction of the wetlands.
2
Evaluate the choices for grammatical correctness.
The choice about developers wanting to drain the Everglades contains a comma splice, and the choice mentioning early developers' efforts contains a subject-verb agreement error.
Eliminating grammatically incorrect options ensures the final answer is grammatically sound.
3
Assess the remaining grammatically correct choices for rhetorical relevance.
The choice about the geographical acreage is off-topic, while the choice regarding historical misunderstanding directly sets up the main theme of the passage.
The correct choice must satisfy the specific rhetorical goal stated in the prompt.

Key Concept

Establishing Introductions and Thesis Statements
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Establishing Introductions and Thesis Statements

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