Read the Following Scenario and Answer the Question(s) Below

question 4

Multiple Choice

Read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below.
Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic, and social benefits. They provide habitat for many organisms and are nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish. Wetlands also hold and slowly release floodwater and snow melt, recharge groundwater, act as cleansing filters, recycle nutrients, and provide recreation. As of 2000, the contiguous United States was estimated to have about 105 million acres of wetlands remaining. Over the past 60 years, it has lost over 16 million acres of wetlands, and the loss continues at about 58,000 acres annually. Nearly one -third of the loss is due to urban development, with the rest being nearly equally divided between rural development, agriculture, and silviculture (predominantly logging) . The southeastern United States is experiencing the greatest losses. The Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct status and trend studies of the nationʹs wetlands and to report the results to Congress each decade. The overall goal is to have no more net loss of wetlands. In the past 5 years, money for flood control projects in Louisiana has been cut dramatically. During that time, two simulations, one of a category 4 hurricane and one of a category 5 hurricane, indicated catastrophic damage and loss of life along the Gulf Coast. The levees were predicted to break, and massive flooding to occur, in part due to the loss of the sheltering wetlands.
-In the United States, wetlands are primarily considered to be ______________.

• A) important because they provide many valuable ecosystem services
• B) useful for fisheries
• C) belonging to the owner of the private property, to be developed or not by the owner
• D) important only for recreational purposes
• E) useful to develop for economic purposes

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Definitions:

Hierarchical Classification

A system of organizing entities into a graded series of levels based on characteristics or criteria, often used in biology for the classification of organisms.

Conservation of Number

A cognitive ability, identified by Piaget, where a child understands that the quantity of a set of items remains the same even if its appearance changes.

Cognitive Skill

The mental ability required for tasks that involve processing information, such as thinking, remembering, problem-solving, and paying attention.

Neo-Piagetian Research

A field of study that extends and modifies Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, incorporating new findings on information processing, memory capabilities, and individual differences in children.