Read this sentence from Passage 1 . "Lee says there's no evidence that mountain bike tires cause any more erosion than hikers do." (paragraph 3) What is the meaning of erosion as it is used in paragraph 3 of Passage 1 ? A. drought B. harm C. pebbles D. waste

In the context of the sentence, "Lee says there's no evidence that mountain bike tires cause any more erosion than hikers do," the term "erosion" refers to the process of wearing away or damaging the land, particularly the soil and vegetation, due to physical activity. Given the options: A. drought - refers to a prolonged dry period, not related to the physical wearing away of land. B. harm - while it can imply damage, it is too broad and does not specifically refer to the physical process of erosion. C. pebbles - refers to small stones, which is not relevant to the concept of erosion. D. waste - implies something discarded or not used, which does not fit the context of land damage. The best interpretation of "erosion" in this context is related to the harm caused to the land, specifically the wearing away of soil and vegetation. Therefore, the closest answer is: **B. harm**.