Read the excerpt from Silent Spring . In the gutters under the eaves and between the shingles of the roofs, a white granular powder still showed a few patches; some weeks before it had fallen like snow upon the roofs and the lawns, the fields and streams. Which best explains how the phrase “white granular powder” supports the author’s purpose of calling attention to the environment?

The phrase “white granular powder” describes the chemical pesticide that has settled around the homes and landscape. Calling it a powder that “fell like snow” shows how widely it spread, while the word “granular” emphasizes that it is a substance left behind—not natural snowfall. This supports the author’s purpose of drawing attention to pollution in the environment. The best choice is “The powder is an unnatural substance.”

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