Question 68
MediumOriginal questionMarine is the name for rubbish that ends up in the sea. It includes anything solid that people have made or used and then thrown away or lost, from drink cans and plastic bags to old fishing nets and boats.
It is more than an ugly sight on a beach. Marine debris injures and kills sea creatures, gets in the way of ships, and can be a danger to human health.
Much of the rubbish on our beaches does not arrive by sea at all. It comes from the land: carried by storm drains and sewers, or simply left behind by people picnicking and spending a day at the beach.
Lost and fishing gear is a particular problem. Nets and lines that have been left in the water go on "fishing" long after anyone uses them, catching, injuring and drowning seals, turtles, fish and birds that swim into them.
Today, there is no place on Earth by this problem. The good news is that much of it begins with what people do on land, and so much of it can be prevented there too.
Why is the word "fishing" in quotation marks in the fourth paragraph?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The nets have been lost or thrown away, yet they go on catching and drowning animals.
The quotation marks show that "fishing" is used in an unusual sense: the nets act as if someone were still fishing.
Worth noting
No one benefits from this "fishing"; the animals are simply killed.
- Concept
- Understanding quotation marks used for an unusual sense
- Typical timeTypical
- 40 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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