Governments, business and many types of institutions collect, organise and record statistics. Statistics capture vital information about such things as the economy, population and the environment and therefore allow meaningful comparisons to be made. This can then inform decisions and plans made about such issues which in turn become public policies. While it may be the issues behind the statistics, rather than the statistics as such that command the public’s attention, it must be recognised that it is the figures that inform these issues.

The author considers statistics to be important because

a) they are recorded by official organisations.

b) the general public have an interest in them.

c) they are affected by plans and policies.

d) they assist in driving public issues.

There are innumerable different species on the planet. Nobody really knows how many species there are, although many scientists have tried to estimate it. However, the complexity of trying to do this makes it impossible to establish a definitive number with any confidence. This is probably due to the fact that new species are continually appearing, while at the same time existing species evolve and some become extinct. In the past, the number of new species appearing exceeded the number of those dying out. Nowadays, however, due to human activity, this trend has reversed and as a result we are in danger of seriously disturbing our ecosystem.

Why is it difficult to establish the number of species globally?

a) There are too many species to count them all.

b) The number of species is constantly changing.

c) Currently, more species are appearing than are becoming extinct.

d) Human action has upset the balance of the natural environment.