1. The characterization of the Southern Ocean in the first paragraph (lines 1–4) primarily serves to emphasize the improbability of Smetacek’s success.
the pessimism of Smetacek’s detractors.
the boldness of Smetacek’s experiment.
the promise of Smetacek’s hypothesis.

2. In line 7, the word “base” most nearly means

sordid
precarious
stark
foundational

3. The passage indicates that the “fertilizer run-off” (line 12) is

an unfortunate by-product.
an environmental hazard.
a potential sustenance.
a source of oxygen.

4. The author regards the fertilization of oceans with iron as

a well-intentioned but environmentally dangerous activity.
a brave but needlessly expensive endeavor.
a promising and feasible solution to a global problem.
an established and valuable component of the worldwide economy.

5. Which sentence provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

Lines 2-3 (“Its churning . . . ships”)
Lines 40-45 (“Activists stoked . . . crabs and worms”)
Lines 48–49 (“Replenishing . . . the practice”)
Lines 50–51 (“Instead, it’s . . . environment”)

6. Which of the following statements about Smetacek’s research is best supported by Figure 1?

the iron fertilization from Smetacek’s experiment created a secondary algal bloom nearly as large as the primary bloom.

smetacek’s experiment would likely have been more successful if it were conducted in February, which is the warmest month in the southern hemisphere.

naturally occurring algal blooms in the Southern Ocean can be more than 30 times as large as the one created in Smetacek’s experiments.

algal blooms are likely to get smaller as they move away from the ice shelves that surround Antarctica.