Question

although dinosaurs have been dead and buried for 65 million years, we know a lot about how those ruling reptiles lived and died from the clues they left behind.

the most direct links to the past are body fossils: actual bones, teeth, skin, eggs, and sometimes even dna preserved in rocks. from such remains, scientists can figure out what dinosaurs looked like, where they lived, what they ate, and how their bodies functioned.

we also know the \terrible lizards\ from trace fossils, which are impressions of life: footprints, bite marks, and nests, for example. these are full of information about dinosaur behavior, including social structure, hunting techniques, and migration patterns.

the key idea in this essay is how scientists discover information about dinosaurs. which words or phrases below are used as pattern transitions to connect the paragraphs to that idea?

○ we

○ clues, fossils, links

○ dinosaurs, ruling reptiles, terrible lizards

○ dead, buried

Explanation:

To determine the pattern transitions connecting paragraphs to the key idea (how scientists discover dinosaur info), analyze each option:

• "we": A pronoun, not related to the discovery method.
• "clues, fossils, links": "clues" (first paragraph, how we know), "fossils" (body/trace fossils as sources), "links" (body fossils as direct links) all relate to how info is discovered.
• "dinosaurs, ruling reptiles, terrible lizards": These are names for dinosaurs, not about discovery.
• "dead, buried": Describes dinosaur state, not discovery.

Answer:

clues, fossils, links