SAT OwlQuestion bank / Central Ideas and Details
Hydrothermal vents are openings in the ocean floor where water heated by volcanic activity escapes. Although no sunlight reaches these depths, the vents support thriving communities of tube worms, clams, and shrimp. These animals depend on bacteria that make food from chemicals in the vent water rather than from sunlight, as plants do.
According to the text, what is the main source of food for the animal communities around hydrothermal vents?
Plants that grow near the vents
Bacteria that make food from chemicals in the vent water
Sunlight that reaches the ocean floor
Small fish that swim down from the surface
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
The text says the vent animals "depend on bacteria that make food from chemicals in the vent water." Choice B restates this.
Choice C contradicts the text, which says that "no sunlight reaches these depths."
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