The claim that is supported by the passage is "All plants, even cacti, need water to survive and will adapt new ways to find and keep it.". The saguaro cactus has a vast root system, a thick stem, and thorns. These adaptations allow the cactus to survive in an environment of very little water which is an essential resource for all plants. The cactus has methods of retrieving water, storing it, and protecting it.

The part of Earth facing the Sun will experience day time. The opposite side will be experiencing nighttime. The Earth's rotation on its axis determines daytime and night because of its location regarding the Sun.

The Victoria State Education and Training department explains why this is true, "The Earth is one of several planets that orbit the Sun, and the moon orbits the Earth. The Earth is essentially a sphere, and the Sun is a nearby star, which is an unimaginably large ball of gas that radiates light and heat as products of nuclear reactions. The Earth orbits the Sun once every 365 days and rotates about its axis once every 24 hours. Day and night are due to the Earth rotating on its axis, not its orbit around the Sun. The term 'one day' is determined by the time the Earth takes to rotate once on its axis and includes both day time and night time."

Source: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/science/continuum/Pages/daynight.aspx

The Lithosphere- contains all of the solid land of the planet's crust, the semi-solid land underneath the crust, and even the molten part of Earth’s core.

The Hydrosphere- contains all the water of the planet, which exists in solid, liquid, and gas forms. Water flows as precipitation from the atmosphere down to Earth's surface, as rivers and streams along Earth's surface, and as groundwater beneath Earth's surface. Most of Earth's freshwater, however, is frozen.

The Biosphere - contains all the planet's living things. This sphere includes all of the microorganisms, plants, and animals of Earth. Within the biosphere, living things form ecological communities based on the physical surroundings of an area. These communities are referred to as biomes. Deserts, grasslands, and tropical rainforests are three of the many types of biomes that exist within the biosphere.

The Atmosphere-contains all the air in Earth's system. The upper portion of the atmosphere protects the organisms of the biosphere from the sun's ultraviolet radiation. It also absorbs and emits heat. This sphere is also where weather occurs.

Most Earth events involve interaction between multiple spheres. For example, rain is the movement of water (the hydrosphere) from the atmosphere to the lithosphere where it collects in lakes, rivers, or streams. Water is an important resource for inhabitants of the biosphere.

The Lithosphere- contains all of the solid land of the planet's crust, the semi-solid land underneath the crust, and even the molten part of Earth’s core.

The Hydrosphere- contains all the water of the planet, which exists in solid, liquid, and gas forms. Water flows as precipitation from the atmosphere down to Earth's surface, as rivers and streams along Earth's surface, and as groundwater beneath Earth's surface. Most of Earth's freshwater, however, is frozen.

The Biosphere - contains all the planet's living things. This sphere includes all of the microorganisms, plants, and animals of Earth. Within the biosphere, living things form ecological communities based on the physical surroundings of an area. These communities are referred to as biomes. Deserts, grasslands, and tropical rainforests are three of the many types of biomes that exist within the biosphere.

The Atmosphere-contains all the air in Earth's system. The upper portion of the atmosphere protects the organisms of the biosphere from the sun's ultraviolet radiation. It also absorbs and emits heat. This sphere is also where weather occurs.

Most Earth events involve interaction between multiple spheres. For example, rain is the movement of water (the hydrosphere) from the atmosphere to the lithosphere where it collects in lakes, rivers, or streams. Water is an important resource for inhabitants of the biosphere.

Four spheres are all independent parts of a system. The spheres interact with each other, and a change in one area can cause a change in another. Plants (biosphere) draw water (hydrosphere) and nutrients from the soil and release water vapor into the atmosphere. The biosphere contains all the planet's living things. This sphere includes all of the microorganisms, plants, and animals of Earth. The hydrosphere contains all the water of the planet, which exists in solid, liquid, and gas forms.

Nonrenewable energy resources, like coal, nuclear, oil, and natural gas, are available in limited supplies. This is usually due to the long time it takes for them to be replenished. Renewable resources are replenished naturally and over relatively short periods. Renewable resources include biomass energy (such as ethanol), hydropower, geothermal power, wind energy, and solar energy. Creating electricity with solar energy instead of coal will reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, find a cleaner way to produce electricity, and reserve more coal.

The passage informs readers that the ocean only contains about three to four percent salt, so there is not an equal amount of water and salt in the oceans. The text also mentions that 97% of Earth's water is saltwater, so the majority of water is not found in clouds. Water evaporates from the ocean, not salt, and this is explained in the passage by describing how the oceans become saltier as water evaporates. This leaves rivers contain salt as the correct statement. Rivers have tiny amounts of salt in their water that is dumped into oceans.

The stage in the water cycle that returns water to Earth is precipitation. Depending on the weather conditions, the temperature on the Earth's surface and in the atmosphere, and the topography of the land will determine the amount and type of precipitation. Precipitation forms when the droplets in the clouds are too heavy and fall back to Earth. Rain will fall when both the atmosphere and surface temperatures are above freezing. Hail will form when there is a thunderstorm, the temperature in the atmosphere is below freezing, and the surface temperature is above freezing. Snow forms when the temperature is below freezing in the atmosphere and on the surface of Earth. Finally, sleet is formed when the temperature in the atmosphere is above freezing, and the surface temperature is below freezing.

Gretel's claim is supported by the research from NASA that her teacher presented. The Sun appears to be the brightest star because it is closest to Earth. It does not appear brightest because its the hottest, largest, or the brightest in the galaxy. "We live so close to it that it outshines everything else." This is the reason the Sun looks so bright.

NASA provides some background on the Sun compared to other stars, "Of course, the star that appears the brightest to all of us on Earth is the Sun. Although it is a rather typical star, not all that different from many of the ones you see at night, we live so close to it that it outshines everything else. Even the next closest star is more than a quarter of a million times farther from Earth, so it is not surprising that the light from the Sun overwhelms that from other stars." Due to the Earth's close (in relative terms) proximity to the Sun, it appears brightest to use because it is closer than all other stars in the galaxy.