Question

read the following passage:

\everyone has seen animation of a surprised t. rex staring up into the sky at the fiery comet bringing doom upon its kind. earth scientists love this dramatic image too, but many arent convinced this is really what killed the dinosaurs. in fact, there are at least three potential causes for their extinction: asteroid impact, erupting volcanoes, and sea level change.

\the dinosaurs did disappear right after a large asteroid slammed into earth. the impact threw massive amounts of rock and steam into the air, possibly enough to block out the sun for months or years and plunge the planet into icy darkness.

\at almost exactly the same time, huge volcanoes erupted in what is now india. rivers of lava poured out, some more than a mile deep. this activity could have injected enough dust and gas into the atmosphere to disrupt plant growth worldwide.

\if all that wasnt drastic enough, there was also a simultaneous large drop in sea level. the shape and size of the oceans have a big influence on weather patterns. the shrinking of the seas would have caused climatic and environmental chaos.\
which selection below is a major supporting detail of the reading?

○ in fact, there are at least three potential causes for their extinction: asteroid impact, erupting volcanoes, and sea level change.

○ at almost exactly the same time, huge volcanoes erupted in what is now india.

○ everyone has seen animation of a surprised t. rex staring up into the sky at the fiery comet bringing doom upon its kind.

○ the shape and size of the oceans have a big influence on weather patterns.

Explanation:

The passage discusses three potential causes of dinosaur extinction. The first option lists these three causes (asteroid impact, erupting volcanoes, sea - level change), which is a major supporting detail as it provides the main framework for the subsequent paragraphs that elaborate on each cause. The second option is just a detail about one of the causes (volcanoes). The third option is an introductory, more of a hook or an example of a common image, not a major supporting detail. The fourth option is a general statement about oceans and weather, which is related to the sea - level change cause but is not as comprehensive as the first option in terms of being a major supporting detail.

Answer:

In fact, there are at least three potential causes for their extinction: asteroid impact, erupting volcanoes, and sea level change.