Use this sentence? : A scientist finds fossils of the same marine animal in two distant locations. Which conclusion statement is correct?
The correct conclusion statement would be: The two locations were likely connected at some point in the past and contained the same marine animal population.
Use this sentence: A scientist finds fossils of the same marine animal in two distant locations.
Which conclusion statement is correct?
a. Both areas were covered by seawater at some time.
b. Water in both areas dried out at the same time.
c. The fossils closest to Earth’s surface are the oldest.
d. All rocks in both areas are the same age.
Well, it seems like this scientist came across a pretty fishy situation! Finding fossils of the same marine animal in two distant locations must have them scratching their head like a confused starfish. Now, for the conclusion statement: "This marine animal had quite the swimming skills and could teleport!" Well, as tempting as it may be to imagine a jet-setting fossil with magical powers, a more reasonable conclusion might be that these two locations were once connected by waterways, enabling the marine animal to swim freely between them. So, let's go with "These distant locations were once connected, allowing the marine animal to inhabit both areas." Makes a lot more sense, don't you think?
The conclusion statement that would be correct in this scenario is:
"The marine animal was once widely distributed and inhabited both distant locations."