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Difficulty: MediumSupporting Claims with Evidence and Details

The following sentences are from a draft of an essay about avian migration. What is the most logical order of these sentences to support the central claim that physiological adaptations enable the bar-headed goose to fly at high altitudes?

  1. 1The bar-headed goose performs one of the most demanding migrations in the animal kingdom, flying over the Himalayas at altitudes exceeding twenty thousand feet.
  2. 2To sustain flight in this thin air, the bird relies on distinct physiological adaptations that optimize oxygen delivery to its muscles.
  3. 3Most notably, its hemoglobin has a unique chemical structure that binds oxygen much more readily than that of other waterfowl.
  4. 4This enhanced oxygen-binding capacity is complemented by an unusually dense network of capillaries in its flight muscles, facilitating rapid oxygen transfer.

Answer

The correct sequence begins with the introduction of the migration context, followed by the general claim about physiological adaptations, then the detail about hemoglobin, and finally the detail about capillaries.
The correct order follows a logical progression: first introducing the goose's high-altitude migration, then presenting the claim that physiological adaptations facilitate this flight, next providing the detail of hemoglobin's oxygen-binding ability, and finally describing how capillary density complements that oxygen-binding capacity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the introductory sentence.
The sentence introducing the bar-headed goose and its migration over the Himalayas must come first.
It establishes the subject and the specific environmental challenge without relying on pronouns or transition words that require preceding context.
2
Locate the sentence stating the central claim.
The sentence asserting that the goose relies on physiological adaptations to fly in 'this thin air' must follow the introduction.
The phrase 'this thin air' refers directly back to the high altitudes introduced in the first sentence, and the statement sets up the general claim that the remaining sentences will substantiate.
3
Order the supporting evidence logically.
The sentence detailing the hemoglobin's oxygen-binding capacity must follow the claim, and the sentence about muscle capillaries must go last.
The hemoglobin sentence begins with 'Most notably,' indicating it is the first example of the physiological adaptations. The capillary sentence starts with 'This enhanced oxygen-binding capacity,' which directly references the hemoglobin adaptation, meaning it must come after it.

Key Concept

Supporting Claims with Evidence and Details
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Supporting Claims with Evidence and Details

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