MTEL Foundations of Reading

A second-grade class is studying a social studies unit focused on geography (e.g., bodies of water, landforms) and its effects on people. So far, the students have learned about lakes, oceans, and bays. As part of the unit, the teacher reads aloud an informational passage that explains why human settlements near rivers historically have succeeded and grown. The teacher pauses regularly to discuss the reading, using a range of text-based questions to prompt discussion and promote students' literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension. Part of the text appears below.

Rivers have fresh water. Fish and other wildlife live in and near rivers. The soil near rivers is good for growing crops and grazing animals. But rivers provided towns with more than just what people needed to survive. Moving water provided a source of power that people could harness for industry. And, over time, large rivers became superhighways for travel and trade across great distances.

Which of the following questions about this part of the text would most effectively target students' inferential comprehension?