Reading Comprehension

The preservation of embryos and juveniles is a rare occurrence in the fossil record. The tiny, delicate skeletons are usually scattered by scavengers or destroyed by weathering before they can be fossilized. Ichthyosaurs had a higher chance of being preserved than did terrestrial creatures because, as marine animals, they tended to live in environments less subject to erosion. Still, their fossilization required a suite of factors: a slow rate of decay of soft tissues, little scavenging by other animals, a lack of swift currents and waves to jumble and carry away small bones, and fairly rapid burial. Given these factors, some areas have become a treasury of well-preserved ichthyosaur fossils.

The deposits at Holzmaden, Germany, present an interesting case for analysis. The ichthyosaur remains are found in black , bituminous marine shales deposited about 190 million years ago. Over the years, thousands of specimens of marine reptiles, fish, and invertebrates have been recovered from these rocks. The quality of preservation is outstanding, but what is even more impressive is the number of ichthyosaur fossils containing preserved embryos. Ichthyosaurs with embryos have been reported from 6 different levels of the shale in a small area around Holzmaden, suggesting that a specific site was used by large numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over time. The embryos are quite advanced in their physical development; their paddles, for example, are already well formed. One specimen is even preserved in the birth canal. In addition, the shale contains the remains of many newborns that are between 20 and 30 inches long.

Why are there so many pregnant females and young at Holzmaden when they are so rare elsewhere? The quality of preservation is almost unmatched and quarry operations have been carried out carefully with an awareness of the value of the fossils. But these factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be such a concentration of pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time of giving birth.


Why does the author mention the speciment preserved in the birth canal (line 21-22)?
(A) To illustrate that the embryo fossils are quite advanced in their development
(B) To explain why the fossils are well preserved
(C) To indicate how the ichthyosaurs died
(D) To prove that ichthyosaurs are marine animals
(E) None of the above.

IMO B

OA is A,

I did not choose B because it uses "why" and not "how". These are very strange passages from the
real GMAT RCs from 1995-2000

Well I also thought option A.But its already stated in the passage.

Aneways.... We can't win them all... we win some... we lose some...

u r doing well... the point here is to see as many new passages as possible before the exam and reduce the timing...

reading and comprehending/answering a passage u read weeks or months back still leaves an impression of the answer in ur mind... So just trying different resources, like this one today!!

selango wrote:Well I also thought option A.But its already stated in the passage.

The author gives the example of Embryo in birth canal in order to strengthen his previous point that the embryo found were had advanced. The maximum advancement is reached when the embryo is born.