What is the passage mainly about?

Composting turns food and yard waste into rich soil through a natural process (The passage explains how composting changes waste into rich soil, and why it is good.)

According to the text, what breaks down the waste in a compost pile?

Tiny living things like worms, bugs, and microbes (The text says "worms to bugs to unseen microbes... feed on the waste and break it down.")

Why do gardeners call the finished soil "black gold"?

It is very valuable because it feeds plants so well (The text ties "black gold" to soil that "feeds plants so well," so it is prized, like gold.)

In this passage, "scraps" most nearly means

small leftover bits of food (The list -- "apple cores, coffee grounds, old bread, potato peels" -- shows scraps are food leftovers.)

Turning Scraps into Soil: Level 2 Reading Comprehension Questions

Every kitchen makes waste: apple cores, coffee grounds, old bread, potato peels. Most of it goes into the trash and then to a dump. But there is an older, better path for this waste. It can become rich soil, through a slow, natural process called composting.

Composting is simple. You gather food scraps and yard waste, such as dead leaves, in a pile or a bin. Tiny living things, from worms to bugs to unseen microbes, feed on the waste and break it down. Air and a little water help them work. Over weeks or months, the pile shrinks and darkens, until the scraps are gone and dark, crumbly soil is left.

Gardeners call this soil black gold, because it feeds plants so well. Composting turns a daily waste into something useful, keeps trash out of the dump, and gives back to the earth what came from it.

Comprehension questions