Which of the following sentences first expresses the main claim of the passage? (4) Once there, helicopters again lifted the goats, this time in crates, into the mountains to be set free.

(5) In this way, wildlife officials caught 114 goats in the first phase of the Mountain Goat Management Plan, but they ultimately will have relocated 90 percent of the 700 goats from the Olympics to the North Cascades.

(6) This removal process may be complicated, but it is necessary.

(9) Since then, the goat population has flourished and could reach 1,500 by 2028.

(10) Park officials also worry about the goats’ deleterious habits of damaging vegetation and causing erosion.

Sentence 6

Explanation:

The passage discusses why it is necessary to remove mountain goats from Olympic National Park and transport them to North Cascades National Park. The sentence transitions from the opening description of the transportation process (“This removal process may be complicated”) to the assertion of its importance (“but it is necessary”) that will be discussed throughout the rest of the passage. The second paragraph explains how the goats damage the environment of Olympic National Park, the third paragraph explains how they endanger the safety of human visitors, and the fourth paragraph explains why North Cascades National Park is a better location for the goats.