Question

42 200 4,424 0.043
30 180 4,776 0.040
21 210 5,885 0.028
6 10 28,736 0.010
data adapted from of nogues-bravo et al. 2008. plos biology. licensed under cc by 4.0.
the passage gives four competing explanations about the causes of the woolly mammoths extinctions based on interpretations of the data shown above.
which of the explanations for the cause of the woolly mammoths extinction is better supported by the data and why?
a. explanation 2, because changes in climatic conditions did not appear to affect the woolly mammoth population size over time.
b. explanation 3, because the climate was similar in 126 kyr bp and 6 kyr bp but the presence of humans expanded.
c. explanation 4, because the hunting pressure supplied by humans would not have been sufficient to drive mammoths to extinction.
d. explanation 1, because the mammoths had similar levels of available habitat at 126 kyr bp and 6 kyr bp.

Explanation:

To determine the best - supported explanation, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The claim that climate change had no effect on mammoth population is not supported by typical knowledge about mammoth extinction (climate change is a known factor), so A is incorrect.
• Option B: If the climate was similar at 126 kyr BP and 6 kyr BP, but human presence expanded, and mammoths went extinct around 6 kyr BP, it suggests that human expansion (a new factor) could be the cause. This is a reasonable line of reasoning.
• Option C: The argument that human hunting pressure was insufficient is not a positive support for an explanation of extinction; it weakens the idea that humans caused it, so C is not a good choice.
• Option D: Just having similar habitat levels doesn't explain why they went extinct at one time and not the other, so D is not a strong explanation.

Answer:

B. Explanation 3, because the climate was similar in 126 kyr BP and 6 kyr BP but the presence of humans expanded.