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Question 3


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Cleo is writing a research paper about why the dinosaurs died out. She is considering four pieces of evidence. Examine each piece of evidence, and then decide which two would be best to include in her paper. Select the two correct answers.

Dinosaurs are a group of reptiles that lived millions of years ago. The word dinosaur was first used by a naturalist named Sir Richard Owen.
Some scientists believe dinosaurs died out after a meteor strike. Evidence of a huge meteor crash was found in Mexico in 2016. And the crash happened around the same time dinosaurs went extinct.
According to National Geographic, lava flows in India sent dangerous chemicals into the air 66 million years ago. These chemicals were strong enough to kill many living creatures.
Modern birds are the closest living link to dinosaurs. That's because they share a common ancestor—the theropod. These were meat-eating dinosaurs. And they lived over 201 million years ago.

1 answer

The two best pieces of evidence Cleo should include in her research paper about why the dinosaurs died out are:

  1. Some scientists believe dinosaurs died out after a meteor strike. Evidence of a huge meteor crash was found in Mexico in 2016. And the crash happened around the same time dinosaurs went extinct.
    This evidence is directly related to one of the most widely accepted theories about the extinction of dinosaurs. It provides a recent discovery that supports the idea of a meteor strike as a catastrophic event that contributed to their extinction. This makes it highly relevant and credible.

  2. According to National Geographic, lava flows in India sent dangerous chemicals into the air 66 million years ago. These chemicals were strong enough to kill many living creatures.
    This piece of evidence is important because it provides another significant cause of the dinosaurs' extinction, linked to the volcanic activity in India. It comes from a reliable source (National Geographic) and supports the idea that environmental changes played a major role in the extinction event.

The other two pieces of evidence, while informative, do not directly address the reasons for the dinosaurs' extinction. The first piece is more historical and does not provide relevant support for Cleo's thesis, and the fourth piece focuses on the evolutionary relationship between birds and dinosaurs rather than the reasons for their extinction.