Question 38
MediumOriginal questionSeen from space, the Earth is mostly blue, and for good reason. The ocean covers about seventy per cent of the planet's surface, and it holds about ninety-seven per cent of all the Earth's water.
Most of the rest is locked away. About two per cent of the Earth's water is frozen in and ice caps. Less than one per cent is the fresh water that people, animals and crops depend on, and a tiny floats in the air as water .
The ocean is not only but deep. Its average depth is about 3,682 metres, more than three and a half kilometres. Throughout those depths there is life. In fact, the ocean is the largest space on the planet where living things can survive, and there is more life there than anywhere else on Earth.
Yet we know surprisingly little about it. Most of the ocean has never been , and before scientists can explore a place properly, they must first map it. So the planet's largest home for life is still, in large part, a place nobody has seen.
What does the passage suggest about fresh water?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
With ninety-seven per cent in the ocean and two per cent frozen, less than one per cent is left as usable fresh water.
The figures show how small a share it is.
Worth noting
The figures rule out any idea that fresh water outweighs salt water: the ocean alone holds ninety-seven per cent.
- Concept
- Drawing a conclusion from figures
- Typical timeTypical
- 45 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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