The 140-million year-old fossil of a tortoise was recently found about 700 meters deep in a coal mine in northeast china. Scientists studying the fossil believe that it represents a previously unknown species?
Which of the following is the best conclusion based on the data provided?
1 The tortoise made its home in underground tunnels that were 700 meters deep.
2 Tortoise fossils would also be found in a copper mine at the same underground level.
3 The tortoise was a burrowing animal that lived on plants.
4 The tortoise lived at the same time as the coal forming plants.
5 All of the tortoises died 140 million years ago.
I think the answer is 3 ?!
Nope.
oh shucks okay ..let me study this a bit more :/
can I get some kind of hint maybe?
What do archaeologists assume about two things found at the same level?
is it 2 Ms. Sue
No. It's 4.
oh thank you Ms. Sue that was a lil hard one for me :/
You are welcome, Kizzi. I know you tried to answer this question, but simply didn't have the background information to do so.
yes ! Ms. Sue you are really smart. I'm thankful you get my questions :)
and you do make me search my answers, which I appreciate that, to gain knowledge and wisdom like you!
To determine the best conclusion based on the data provided, we need to carefully analyze the information given and evaluate each option.
Option 1 suggests that the tortoise made its home in underground tunnels that were 700 meters deep. However, the information provided does not explicitly state that the tortoise lived in underground tunnels, so this option is not supported by the given information.
Option 2 states that tortoise fossils would also be found in a copper mine at the same underground level. However, there is no information given to support the idea that tortoise fossils would be found at the same depth in a copper mine. Therefore, we cannot assume this option to be true based on the provided data.
Option 3 suggests that the tortoise was a burrowing animal that lived on plants. While this option is a plausible hypothesis, the given information does not explicitly state that the tortoise was a burrowing animal. Therefore, we cannot conclude this to be the best answer based solely on the data provided.
Option 4 suggests that the tortoise lived at the same time as the coal forming plants. This option is supported by the given information, as it states that the fossil was found in a coal mine. Since coal is formed from ancient plant material, it is logical to conclude that the tortoise lived during the same time as the plants that contributed to the formation of the coal. Therefore, this option is a plausible conclusion based on the given data.
Option 5 suggests that all of the tortoises died 140 million years ago. The given information only provides details about a single 140-million-year-old tortoise fossil. Hence, there is no basis to conclude that all tortoises died at the same time based solely on this information.
Based on the analysis above, the best conclusion based on the data provided is option 4: The tortoise lived at the same time as the coal forming plants.