Question #14 (incorrect)
A recent comparative study of the skeletal remains of dinosaurs and the ancestors of crocodiles, crurostarsans, has shed new light on the condition of dinosaurs in the long period prior to their extinction. According to the fossil record, both dinosaurs and crurostarsans survived a mass extinction of many animal groups 225 million years ago. Few crurostarsans endured a second, similar extinction only 25 million years later, whereas the dinosaurs, who underwent little or no evolution between this event up until the point of their extinction, thrived and multiplied. Researchers were surprised by this finding because the skeletal remains of crurostarsans indicate that these animals appeared in a greater variety of shapes and forms than dinosaurs, with more physical variety implying a stronger ability to adapt and thus survive by changing lifestyles, diets, and habitats. So, contrary to former beliefs, rather than being in a state of decline prior to their extinction, dinosaurs actually thrived and dominated.
In light of the recent study, researchers have attempted to devise an explanation for the dinosaurs' supremacy during the 135 million years prior to their extinction. At this point, however, no satisfactory scientific explanation has been put forth, and researchers currently consider that "luck" played the greatest role in the dinosaur's triumph. According to Dr. Michael Benton, the crurostarsans were essentially eliminated while the dinosaurs began to thrive. And, just as there is still no scientific explanation for the survival of the dinosaurs, researchers similarly lack an explanation for the sudden demise of the better-adapted crurostarsans.
According to the passage, researchers believe that the varied physical characteristics of crurostarsans
(A) caused them to become extinct during a mass extinction of many animal groups 225 million years ago
(B) caused them to become extinct 200 million years ago while the dinosaurs survived
(C) should have allowed them to survive extinction 200 million years ago
(D) allowed them to survive the mass extinction of 200 million years ago, as predicted by the laws of natural selection
(E) allowed them to compete with the dinosaurs for the limited resources necessary for survival following the extinction of 200 million years ago
A recent comparative study of the skeletal remains of dinosaurs and the ancestors of crocodiles, crurostarsans, has shed new light on the condition of dinosaurs in the long period prior to their extinction. According to the fossil record, both dinosaurs and crurostarsans survived a mass extinction of many animal groups 225 million years ago. Few crurostarsans endured a second, similar extinction only 25 million years later, whereas the dinosaurs, who underwent little or no evolution between this event up until the point of their extinction, thrived and multiplied. Researchers were surprised by this finding because the skeletal remains of crurostarsans indicate that these animals appeared in a greater variety of shapes and forms than dinosaurs, with more physical variety implying a stronger ability to adapt and thus survive by changing lifestyles, diets, and habitats. So, contrary to former beliefs, rather than being in a state of decline prior to their extinction, dinosaurs actually thrived and dominated.
In light of the recent study, researchers have attempted to devise an explanation for the dinosaurs' supremacy during the 135 million years prior to their extinction. At this point, however, no satisfactory scientific explanation has been put forth, and researchers currently consider that "luck" played the greatest role in the dinosaur's triumph. According to Dr. Michael Benton, the crurostarsans were essentially eliminated while the dinosaurs began to thrive. And, just as there is still no scientific explanation for the survival of the dinosaurs, researchers similarly lack an explanation for the sudden demise of the better-adapted crurostarsans.
According to the passage, researchers believe that the varied physical characteristics of crurostarsans
(A) caused them to become extinct during a mass extinction of many animal groups 225 million years ago
(B) caused them to become extinct 200 million years ago while the dinosaurs survived
(C) should have allowed them to survive extinction 200 million years ago
(D) allowed them to survive the mass extinction of 200 million years ago, as predicted by the laws of natural selection
(E) allowed them to compete with the dinosaurs for the limited resources necessary for survival following the extinction of 200 million years ago
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