Read the following passage, and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 35 to 40

Ocean Currents and the Turning of the Tide

If you take a seat at the beach and look out across the water, you’ll soon notice that oceans have a rhythm of their own. Throughout the course of the day, sea levels will rise and fall, and water will flow through routes and end up in different places. But how does it all work?

One force at play is tides, which are the alternating water levels of the ocean. There are two major gravitational forces which cause tides: the sun and the moon. The moon’s force has a tugging effect on oceans which causes them to bulge outwards on opposite sides of the planet. Solar tides operate according to the same principles. However, they are only about 50 percent as strong due to the distance between the sun and the earth.

As tides rise and fall, they create tidal currents. The strongest tidal currents occur at the height of both high and low tides. Unlike other currents, they do not flow in a continuous stream. Far from shore, tidal currents don’t have much of an effect. Yet when they pass through narrow area, like harbours and bays, tidal currents can displace plants, animals, and sediment. Although they may certainly shake things up, not all of the damage is negative. Tidal currents can spread fish eggs across long distances to assist fertilization, in addition to transporting key nutrients.

Another category of currents is ocean currents. These currents occur near the top of the water, and are mainly powered by the wind. One example of these is coastal currents, which are those beachgoers encounter when going for a swim. One of the strongest and most well-known currents is the Gulf Stream, which brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Western Europe. Meanwhile, Deep Ocean currents are a powerful force in the depths of oceans. The strongest of these has been nicknamed the global conveyor belt, and it moves much slower than surface currents. Although we can’t see it in operation, it’s about 16 times as powerful as all the earth’s rivers put together. As the global conveyor belt pushes water around the planet, it carries nutrition and carbon dioxide to places that truly need them. In the end, although there are several currents working on oceans simultaneously, they each seem to perform a necessary function that creates balance for life in the sea.

Question 35:  How do moon tides different from solar tides?

A. They operate using different principles. B. They occur less frequently than solar tides.

C. They only occur during the nighttime. D. They are stronger than solar tides.

Question 36:  The most powerful tidal currents occur________.

A. when tides are high B. when tides are low and high

C. when tides are low D. when it is a windy day

Question 37:  What can be said about the global conveyor belt?

A. They perform an important function. B. They are near the top of the water.

C. They can be witnessed by beachgoers. D. They are the fastest type of current.

Question 38:  What can be inferred from the passage?

A. The moon’s force has the same effect on oceans on the opposite sides of the earth.

B. There are ocean currents which are more powerful than the global conveyor belt.

C. People in Western Europe may see the Gulf Stream.

D. Ocean currents play a role in creating life balance in the sea.

Question 39:  The word “displace” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to________.

A. move B. bury C. keep D. destroy

Question 40:  The word “these” in paragraph 4 refers to________.

A. Deep Ocean currents B. the Gulf Stream currents

C. the depths of oceans D. forces to cause ocean currents