Read the passage. There are several questions about this passage. | | Which sentence states a central | |idea in the passage’ 1. "Because purple loosestrife can destroy the natural balance of an | environment, some people believe that we should eliminate this | flowering invader.” (Paragraph 2) 2. "Purple loosestrife plants first arrived in the northeastern United States and Canada in the 1800s from Europe." (Paragraph 3) Purple loosestrife thrives in wetland areas. 4 Today, purple loosestrife grows in almost = - every U.S. state. A great deal of money and So onzomeistates (ibis ilegalec) effort has been invested trying to get rid of it. buy, sell, plant, or transport the Many states classify the aggressive plant as a species." (Paragraph 4) noxious, or harmful, weed. In some states, it is | illegal to buy, sell, plant, or transport the species. 4, "From every new root stem, new | But what makes purple loosestrife a plant plant stalks emerge—each of | "plague"? One problem is the way the plant which produces new flowers and grows. Each plant produces from 30 to 50 stems. thousands more seeds.” on strong stalks. In many regions, these stems (Paragraph 5) bloom from June to September. Each stem is | | covered with tiny flowers. Each flower forms a seed pod bursting with seeds. A single stalk of _ aboutlank Page 10