Tales of the Deep: The Giant Squid
Have you ever wondered what swims in the deepest parts of the world's oceans? Well, we just got a better idea about one mysterious creature of the deep ocean: the giant squid.

Just recently a Japanese film crew managed to film a giant squid swimming in its natural habitat. They managed to lure it to their cameras with bait after many hours of waiting and searching two thousand feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

The giant squid is truly a giant. It can grow up to 50 feet in length, with tentacles making up most of this great length. For comparison, 50 feet is about as long as most school buses. Imagine meeting something the size of your school bus in the deep dark ocean and you might get an idea what it is like to meet a squid.

Over the centuries, many squid specimens have been found, but it's hard to get an idea of how the squid lives because it typically cruises in the deepest depths of the ocean. We know that the giant squid's main predator is the sperm whale. We know this because bits of giant squid have been found in the stomachs of sperm whales. We also know they feed on deep-sea fish and other squid. We know this because of all the giant squid that have washed ashore.

The giant squid lives in all of the world's oceans—though few are found in the tropics or the Arctic waters. As a result, stories of giant squid were told among sailors for hundreds of years. These sightings must have been frightening and may be the source for the legend of the Kraken—a sea monster reputed to be as large as an island—capable of eating an entire ship.

Which sentence most correctly explains the main idea of the entire passage? (1 point)


Question 17 options:

1)

Because few people had ever seen it, the giant squid is one of the great sea-monster mysteries of the deep.

2)

Because it eats so many fish, both of its own size and larger, the giant squid has earned its reputation as a mysterious monster of the deep sea.

3)

Because it is likely the cause of so many shipwrecks, the giant squid has earned a reputation as a school-bus-sized hazard of the deep sea.

4)

Because it is a favorite food of sperm whales, the giant squid spends most of its time in the deepest ocean and is a mystery to humans.