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Difficulty: EasyIdentifying Core Claims and Hypotheses

### Permian-Triassic Extinction Cause

Two scientists present opposing hypotheses regarding the primary cause of the Permian-Triassic extinction event, which occurred approximately 252252 million years ago.

Scientist 1
The extinction was caused by a large asteroid impact. The collision injected massive quantities of dust and sulfur into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight, halting photosynthesis, and causing global temperatures to drop rapidly. This sudden disruption of the global food chain led to the rapid collapse of marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

Scientist 2
The extinction was caused by prolonged volcanic eruptions in the Siberian Traps. These eruptions released immense volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2CO_2) over hundreds of thousands of years. The resulting greenhouse effect raised global temperatures, acidified the oceans, and depleted dissolved oxygen, leading to a gradual but catastrophic die-off of life.

Based on the passage, which of the following statements best describes the core claim made by Scientist 1?

  1. An asteroid impact initiated sudden dust blockages and global cooling, leading to ecosystem collapse.Answer
  2. B
    Prolonged volcanic eruptions released carbon dioxide, causing global warming and ocean acidification.
  3. C
    A gradual depletion of oxygen in the oceans directly resulted from acid rain.
  4. D
    Ocean acidification directly blocked sunlight and prevented photosynthesis from occurring.

Answer

An asteroid impact initiated sudden dust blockages and global cooling, leading to ecosystem collapse.
The correct option matches Scientist 1's viewpoint, which is that a massive asteroid impact blocked solar radiation and caused rapid cooling, leading to ecosystem collapse.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the portion of the passage describing Scientist 1's hypothesis.
Scientist 1 asserts that a large asteroid impact injected dust and sulfur into the atmosphere, causing temperatures to drop and ecosystems to collapse.
This isolates the correct set of claims to compare against the choices.
2
Evaluate the answer choices to find the one matching Scientist 1's main claim.
The option describing an asteroid impact causing sudden dust blockages and global cooling matches Scientist 1's text, while other options describe Scientist 2's volcanic hypothesis or conflate the two.
Matching the retrieved text to the correct option ensures accuracy.

Key Concept

Identifying the central claim or hypothesis of a specific viewpoint in a scientific debate.
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Topics

Identifying Core Claims and Hypotheses

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