The Importance of Grass

Vast areas of the earth are covered by grass. Of the 15 major crops that stand between us and starvation, 10 are grasses. No matter where you live, it would be hard to walk outside your door and not find grasses within a very short distance. Grasses are immensely common and immensely important.
Misconceptions about grasses abound. “They have no flowers!” One hears. This is not true. Grasses do have flowers just as roses and daisies have flowers; the only difference is that they are small and inconspicuous and differ slightly in structure. “They have no colour!” This is not true if you just start looking. “They all look alike!” Also, not true—if you look.
“The fruit of the grass family the grain is a concentrated source of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals. Being dry, it is easy to store and transport, and thus it has become a major food source for humans.
The green leafy parts of grass, which we cannot digest, can be eaten by cows and other animals; so that even if you eat nothing but hamburger, you are still eating grass. If you eat sugar, you are eating another product of the grass family—the sugar cane plant. And in the far east, another grass, bamboo, is used for everything from food to construction materials.
One of the most extraordinary features of grass growth is the root system. Sometimes, as much as 90 per cent of the weight of the grass plants is the roots.
This concentration of starch and energy below the ground helps grasses to survive grazing and burning, and it reduces water loss.

Do grasses help to prevent us from starving? Yes/No

Which sentence from the passage supports your answer?

The Importance of Grass

Vast areas of the earth are covered by grass. Of the 15 major crops that stand between us and starvation, 10 are grasses. No matter where you live, it would be hard to walk outside your door and not find grasses within a very short distance. Grasses are immensely common and immensely important.
Misconceptions about grasses abound. “They have no flowers!” One hears. This is not true. Grasses do have flowers just as roses and daisies have flowers; the only difference is that they are small and inconspicuous and differ slightly in structure. “They have no colour!” This is not true if you just start looking. “They all look alike!” Also, not true - if you look.
“The fruit of the grass family the grain is a concentrated source of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals. Being dry, it is easy to store and transport, and thus it has become a major food source for humans.
The green leafy parts of grass, which we cannot digest, can be eaten by cows and other animals; so that even if you eat nothing but hamburger, you are still eating grass. If you eat sugar, you are eating another product of the grass family—the sugar cane plant. And in the far east, another grass, bamboo, is used for everything from food to construction materials.
One of the most extraordinary features of grass growth is the root system. Sometimes, as much as 90 per cent of the weight of the grass plants is the roots.
This concentration of starch and energy below the ground helps grasses to survive grazing and burning, and it reduces water loss.

“It would be hard to walk outside your door and not find grasses within a very short distance” means it would be:

(Choose the correct answer.)

The Importance of Grass

Vast areas of the earth are covered by grass. Of the 15 major crops that stand between us and starvation, 10 are grasses. No matter where you live, it would be hard to walk outside your door and not find grasses within a very short distance. Grasses are immensely common and immensely important.
Misconceptions about grasses abound. “They have no flowers!” One hears. This is not true. Grasses do have flowers just as roses and daisies have flowers; the only difference is that they are small and inconspicuous and differ slightly in structure. “They have no color!” This is not true if you just start looking. “They all look alike!” Also, not true - if you look.
“The fruit of the grass family the grain is a concentrated source of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals. Being dry, it is easy to store and transport, and thus it has become a major food source for humans.
The green leafy parts of grass, which we cannot digest, can be eaten by cows and other animals; so that even if you eat nothing but hamburger, you are still eating grass. If you eat sugar, you are eating another product of the grass family—the sugar cane plant. And in the far east, another grass, bamboo, is used for everything from food to construction materials.
One of the most extraordinary features of grass growth is the root system. Sometimes, as much as 90 per cent of the weight of the grass plants is the roots.
This concentration of starch and energy below the ground helps grasses to survive grazing and burning, and it reduces water loss.

List the misconceptions about grasses.

The Importance of Grass

Vast areas of the earth are covered by grass. Of the 15 major crops that stand between us and starvation, 10 are grasses. No matter where you live, it would be hard to walk outside your door and not find grasses within a very short distance. Grasses are immensely common and immensely important.
Misconceptions about grasses abound. “They have no flowers!” One hears. This is not true. Grasses do have flowers just as roses and daisies have flowers; the only difference is that they are small and inconspicuous and differ slightly in structure. “They have no colour!” This is not true if you just start looking. “They all look alike!” Also, not true—if you look.
The fruit of the grass family the grain is a concentrated source of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals. Being dry, it is easy to store and transport, and thus it has become a major food source for humans.
The green leafy parts of grass, which we cannot digest, can be eaten by cows and other animals; so that even if you eat nothing but hamburger, you are still eating grass. If you eat sugar, you are eating another product of the grass family—the sugar cane plant. And in the far east, another grass, bamboo, is used for everything from food to construction materials.
One of the most extraordinary features of grass growth is the root system. Sometimes, as much as 90 per cent of the weight of the grass plants is the roots.
This concentration of starch and energy below the ground helps grasses to survive grazing and burning, and it reduces water loss.

Give three characteristics that make grass an important food.

The Importance of Grass

Vast areas of the earth are covered by grass. Of the 15 major crops that stand between us and starvation, 10 are grasses. No matter where you live, it would be hard to walk outside your door and not find grasses within a very short distance. Grasses are immensely common and immensely important.
Misconceptions about grasses abound. “They have no flowers!” one hears. This is not true. Grasses do have flowers just as roses and daisies have flowers; the only difference is that they are small and inconspicuous and differ slightly in structure. “They have no colour!” This is not true if you just start looking. “They all look alike!” Also, not true - if you look.
The fruit of the grass family the grain is a concentrated source of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals. Being dry, it is easy to store and transport, and thus it has become a major food source for humans.
The green leafy parts of grass, which we cannot digest, can be eaten by cows and other animals; so that even if you eat nothing but hamburger, you are still eating grass. If you eat sugar, you are eating another product of the grass family—the sugar cane plant. And in the far east, another grass, bamboo, is used for everything from food to construction materials.
One of the most extraordinary features of grass growth is the root system. Sometimes, as much as 90 per cent of the weight of the grass plants is the roots.
This concentration of starch and energy below the ground helps grasses to survive grazing and burning, and it reduces water loss.

“Even if you eat nothing but hamburger, you are still eating grass” means:

The Importance of Grass

Vast areas of the earth are covered by grass. Of the 15 major crops that stand between us and starvation, 10 are grasses. No matter where you live, it would be hard to walk outside your door and not find grasses within a very short distance. Grasses are immensely common and immensely important.
Misconceptions about grasses abound. “They have no flowers!” One hears. This is not true. Grasses do have flowers just as roses and daisies have flowers; the only difference is that they are small and inconspicuous and differ slightly in structure. “They have no colour!” This is not true if you just start looking. “They all look alike!” Also, not true - if you look.
The fruit of the grass family the grain is a concentrated source of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals. Being dry, it is easy to store and transport, and thus it has become a major food source for humans.
The green leafy parts of grass, which we cannot digest, can be eaten by cows and other animals; so that even if you eat nothing but hamburger, you are still eating grass. If you eat sugar, you are eating another product of the grass family—the sugar cane plant. And in the far east, another grass, bamboo, is used for everything from food to construction materials.
One of the most extraordinary features of grass growth is the root system. Sometimes, as much as 90 per cent of the weight of the grass plants is the roots.
This concentration of starch and energy below the ground helps grasses to survive grazing and burning, and it reduces water loss.

"The green leafy parts of grass, which we cannot digest, can be eaten by cows and other animals." (Rewrite the sentence by beginning with “Since we cannot ___________.”)

Read the passage carefully and answer the following.

The Importance of Grass

Vast areas of the earth are covered by grass. Of the 15 major crops that stand between us and starvation, 10 are grasses. No matter where you live, it would be hard to walk outside your door and not find grasses within a very short distance. Grasses are immensely common and immensely important.
Misconceptions about grasses abound. “They have no flowers!” One hears. This is not true. Grasses do have flowers just as roses and daisies have flowers; the only difference is that they are small and inconspicuous and differ slightly in structure. “They have no colour!” This is not true if you just start looking. “They all look alike!” Also, not true - if you look.
The fruit of the grass family the grain is a concentrated source of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals. Being dry, it is easy to store and transport, and thus it has become a major food source for humans.
The green leafy parts of grass, which we cannot digest, can be eaten by cows and other animals; so that even if you eat nothing but hamburger, you are still eating grass. If you eat sugar, you are eating another product of the grass family—the sugar cane plant. And in the far east, another grass, bamboo, is used for everything from food to construction materials.
One of the most extraordinary features of grass growth is the root system. Sometimes, as much as 90 per cent of the weight of the grass plants is the roots.
This concentration of starch and energy below the ground helps grasses to survive grazing and burning, and it reduces water loss.

What is the factor that enables grass to survive so well?

Read the passage carefully and answer the following.

The Importance of Grass

Vast areas of the earth are covered by grass. Of the 15 major crops that stand between us and starvation, 10 are grasses. No matter where you live, it would be hard to walk outside your door and not find grasses within a very short distance. Grasses are immensely common and immensely important.
Misconceptions about grasses abound. "They have no flowers!" One hears. This is not true. Grasses do have flowers just as roses and daisies have flowers; the only difference is that they are small and inconspicuous and differ slightly in structure. "They have no colour!" This is not true if you just start looking. "They all look alike!" Also, not true - if you look.
The fruit of the grass family the grain is a concentrated source of protein, carbohydrates, and minerals. Being dry, it is easy to store and transport, and thus it has become a major food source for humans.
The green leafy parts of grass, which we cannot digest, can be eaten by cows and other animals; so that even if you eat nothing but hamburger, you are still eating grass. If you eat sugar, you are eating another product of the grass family—the sugar cane plant. And in the far east, another grass, bamboo, is used for everything from food to construction materials.
One of the most extraordinary features of grass growth is the root system. Sometimes, as much as 90 per cent of the weight of the grass plants is the roots.
This concentration of starch and energy below the ground helps grasses to survive grazing and burning, and it reduces water loss.

"It reduces water loss." What does "it" refer to here?

Give the noun form of 'survive'.