survived. Choice (B) sounds good, since mammals were not dominant, but the author
doesn’t say that they were very rare; eliminate (B). While many species were wiped out,
many mammals survived, so (D) is too extreme. The passage states that mammals became
dominant after the KT extinction, so (C) is the correct answer.
B As determined in the previous question, mammals were not dominant on Earth until after the
asteroid hit. Since question 42 asks specifically about the first paragraph, the first
paragraph is probably the best place to find support for a claim made in that paragraph.
Choice (A) is from the first paragraph but simply states that experts reviewed the research.
Choice (B) is also from the first paragraph and explicitly states that the extinction wiped
out more than half of all species on the planet, thus clearing the way for mammals to
become the dominant species on Earth, so (B) is the correct answer. While (C) comes
immediately after the first paragraph and could comment upon it, the lines do not address
mammals or their dominance. Choice (D) is from the sixth paragraph, and while it does
support the idea that humans were not dominant until after the KT extinction, the fact that
humans were not dominant does not in and of itself indicate that no mammals were
dominant. Choice (D) is not better than (B).
B The word spewed is used in the passage to describe the process of volcanic eruptions
releasing vast amounts of lava that spread across the land. Thus, spewed must means
something like “to release or expel substances out.” Choice (B) is correct, as it means “to
eject something.” Choice (A) means “to set fire,” and although lava is hot and burns what it
touches, the correct answer needs to address the issue of releasing the lava. Choice (C)
means “to dig out of the earth,” and (D) means “to draw off or convey liquid.” Neither
reflects the sense that the lava is being pushed out of the volcano, and so neither choice is
better than (B).
B Passage 1 states that the asteroid caused fires, earthquakes, and tsunamis, but it isn’t clear
that those are what killed most of the dinosaurs. In fact, the passage argues that it was the
dust cloud that shielded the sun that dealt the final blow. So, (A) is incorrect. Choice (C)
makes a causal link between the asteroid and the volcanoes, but this relationship is never
put forward in the passage, so (C) is incorrect. The passage states that scientists have
previously argued about the cause of the extinction, but this does not mean they are still in
complete disagreement, particularly given the agreement surrounding the new study; (D) is
incorrect. The correct answer is (B).
D Both passages use the saying nail in the coffin to state that something came to a clear end.
Choice (D) is the correct answer because the saying refers to an event that caused
something to end, that is, a terminating event. Choice (A) is incorrect, as the saying is not a
deduction. Choice (B) is tempting because the nail in that coffin in Passage 1 is the
asteroid that ended the reign of the dinosaurs, but in Passage 2, the nail in the coffin is the
end of the belief that the dinosaurs could have died before the asteroid’s impact. Choice (C)
looks good because the saying is a metaphor, but the question asks what the passages are
using the metaphor to refer to, not what type of literary device is being used.
B The reason the author mentions the high-precision radiometric dating techniques is to justify