Reading Comprehension

Nitrogen, which comprises 78 percent of the Earth's atmosphere, is necessary for plant nutrition. But agriculture and industry have doubled the rate at which nitrogen is "fixed," and in so doing may have raised a serious environmental threat. Despite the natural abundance of nitrogen, most of it is in the form of an inert gas, N2, which cannot be used by living things. To nourish plants, it must be fixed - bonded with hydrogen or oxygen. In nature, some of this fixing is done by lightning, but most of it is the work of certain algae and bacteria. Human activity has greatly increased the supply of usable nitrogen. The largest artificial source of fixed nitrogen is chemical fertilizer. The cultivation of plants like legumes that carry nitrogen-fixing bacteria on root nodules is another major source. Automobiles, factories, and power plants release significant amounts of fixed nitrogen by burning fossil fuels like oil and coal. Other sources include forest fires and sewage treatment.

It is uncertain what effect these changes have had so far, but the potential for harm is considerable. Burning forests and fossil fuel creates fixed-nitrogen gases that increase smog and acid rain, damage the ozone layer, and add to global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere. Synthetic fertilizers, along with this airborne fixed nitrogen, cause plants that thrive on nitrogen to drive out other species, which may become extinct along with the animals that depend on them. Also, since many bacteria and fungi feed on nitrogen, these nitrogen-rich plants decompose faster than other plants. This prevents the plant community from storing larger amounts of carbon. The failure of plant communities to absorb more carbon dioxide and store it as carbon may become another contributor to global warming.

Finally, fixed nitrogen in the air and soil settles, runs off, or seeps into rivers and streams, where, with fixed nitrogen from sewage treatment plants, it flows into lakes and oceans. Beside making drinking water unsafe, this can lead to algae blooms that kill fish. It can also spur the growth of small aquatic plants that cloud the water and deprive larger plants of sunlight. When these larger plants die, they are consumed by bacteria that multiply and deplete the water of oxygen, rendering it incapable of sustaining life.

It can be inferred that the author wwould be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?

A. Most of the fixed nitrogen in the environment today is of human orgin.
B. Nitrogen in the form of N2 is relatively harmless.
C. Excess fixed hydrogen has done irreversible harm to the environment.
D. The plants that are grown for food are not the ones that do best in a high nitrogen environment.
E. Algae blooms are caused by a loss of oxygen in the water.

Hi dreamv,
My understanding says this.

A. Most of the fixed nitrogen in the environment today is of human orgin.
In nature, some of this fixing is done by lightning, but most of it is the work of certain algae and bacteria
Wrong.

B. Nitrogen in the form of N2 is relatively harmless.
Nitrogen, which comprises 78 percent of the Earth's atmosphere, is necessary for plant nutrition. But agriculture and industry have doubled the rate at which nitrogen is "fixed," and in so doing may have raised a serious environmental threat. Despite the natural abundance of nitrogen, most of it is in the form of an inert gas, N2, which cannot be used by living things

Correct: Nitrogen is normally 78% in environment and most of them is inert. The increase in rate of Nitrogen fixing has serious implications.

C. Excess fixed hydrogen has done irreversible harm to the environment.
Nothing has been said aboul.

D. The plants that are grown for food are not the ones that do best in a high nitrogen environment.
Nothing has been said about.

E. Algae blooms are caused by a loss of oxygen in the water.
Beside making drinking water unsafe, this can lead to algae blooms that kill fish. It can also spur the growth of small aquatic plants that cloud the water and deprive larger plants of sunlight. When these larger plants die, they are consumed by bacteria that multiply and deplete the water of oxygen, rendering it incapable of sustaining life.
Wrong: Fixed nitrogen results in algae bloom which later on results in depltetion of oxygen.

What is the OA ?

Thanks for your explanation. You're right. OA is B. I am a little bit confused about that N2 is harmless. The paragraph below says that ~ N2, which cannot be used by living things. Doesn't it mean that it is harmful because it cannot be used by living things? "which" here indicates N2, right? I understand the increase of nitrogen fixing is harmful though.

"Despite the natural abundance of nitrogen, most of it is in the form of an inert gas, N2, which cannot be used by living things"

Here is a goacha. The question does not implicitly states that.

Normally environment has 78% of nitrogen and most in inert form. Although N2 in this form is not useful (passage does not mention any use), it is not harmful as well, and is an integral part of air. As you rightly said, increase in fixing has caused the problem.

Also consider following case:
If I have a pen (inert N2) in my pocket, it won't spoil my pocket.
If I have a pen ink (Fixed N2) in my pocket, it will surely spoil my pocket.

Hope it helps