Without ever declaring war, the world has been engaged in a pitched battle against coral reefs. From coral reefs that have been destroyed as a result of fishing with dynamite to coral reefs blanketed by and suffocating from sediment, fully two- thirds of these crucial ecosystems are under siege around the world. Approximately one-quarter of them have fallen a permanent casualty to modern assault weapons. Assailants are operative everywhere in the oceans. In addition to blast or dynamite fishing, other fishing methods, including bottom trawling and the practice of muroami, hitting the reefs with sticks to dislodge fish, are damaging reefs and destroying their delicate balance of life. Runoff consisting of pesticides, untreated sewage, and other contaminants that make their way to the reefs, which are typically not far from shore, operate like commandoes in surprise attacks on opponents. Abiotic factors, including water temperature, are also under attack as a result of global warming. In response to rising temperatures, corals eject the mutualistic and photosynthesizing algae called zooxanthellae, with which they exchange bene- fits and upon which their very existence relies.

1. The author most likely creates an extended analogy to war in order to

(A) illustrate the degree of destruction and the gravity of the problem facing coral reefs.
(B) make the topic more accessible through the use of a literary device.
(C) exploit a comparison between guerrilla warfare and ecosystem loss.
(D) couch the opening statistics within more comprehensible language.
(E) suggest the division of the audience into warring camps on the to pic of global warming.



2. In the passage’s first paragraph, the author asserts that

(A) certain sediments and fishing techniques are mainly responsible for the loss of Earth’s coral reefs.
(B) approximately one third of Earth’s coral reefs remain in pristine condition.
(C) approximately one quarter of Earth’s coral reefs are irretrievably lost.
(D) two thirds of Earth’s coral reefs lack the necessary defenses against pollution and other assaults.
(E) the undeclared war against coral reefs has been more destructive than many declared wars have been.



3. According to the passage, the zooxanthellae are necessary because

(A) the loss of zooxanthellae upsets the delicate balance of reef ecosystems.
(B) zooxanthellae exist only to ensure the existence of coral.
(C) coral and zooxanthellae are interdependent organisms.
(D) zooxanthellae are the only source of defenses against external assault.
(E) zooxanthellae provide protection against certain types of harmful sediment.