Question

the involuntary twitching of a sleeping dogs paw can make us suspect that animals dream just like we do. indeed, research monitoring the brain activity of rats confirms that animals have complex dreams. the experiments data indicated that rats who learned to run a maze while awake dreamed about running the maze later. these findings suggest that dreams may play an important role in learning and memory, for both animals and humans.
why does the author include the detail about watching a sleeping dogs paw?
1 to prove that animal dreams are as complex as human dreams
2 to help stimulate reader interest in the subject of animals dreaming
3 to show how dreams play an important role in learning and memory

Explanation:

The detail about the sleeping dog's paw is an engaging and relatable observation. It serves as an introduction to the topic of animals' dreaming. It is not used to prove the complexity of animal dreams (as that comes later with the rat experiment) or to directly show the role of dreams in learning/memory (the rat experiment and conclusion do that). Instead, it is a hook to draw readers in and make them interested in the subject of animals' dreaming.

Answer:

1. to help stimulate reader interest in the subject of animals' dreaming