1 the woolly mammoth an extinct species related to the eleph - GED Practice Questions
Question
1 The woolly mammoth, an extinct species related to the elephant, last walked on mainland North America thousands of years ago. The precise timing and cause of this extinction are a matter of scientific debate and form the basis of two competing hypotheses.
2 One group of scientists argues that humans are responsible for the woolly mammoth's extinction. Humans first arrived in North America from Asia during the last glacial retreat. As temperatures rose, ice melted, and for a window of time, roughly 12,000-15,000 years ago, a land bridge connected Asia and North America. During this time, humans first populated North America. Soon after the arrival of humans, these scientists argue, mammoths along with other mega fauna (large animals) were killed off in a mass extinction. They believe the sudden arrival of humans with their efficient hunting practices overwhelmed these animals and resulted in their disappearance. Through carbon-14 dating, a direct dating method used on previously living material, the last known woolly mammoth lived between 13,000 and 15,000 years ago. The temporal correlation of these two events, the arrival of humans and the extinction of the mammoths, forms the main line of support for this hypothesis. Evidence of kill sites, places where thousands of animals were corralled and killed in prehistoric times, adds support to this argument. 3 A different group of scientists believe that the shifting climate caused this extinction, not overhunting by humans. Between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, the worldwide average temperature increased 6°C. The resulting change in climate would have led to extensive habitat loss for mega fauna. These scientists argue that woolly mammoths survived much longer and died out thousands of years after the arrival of humans. These scientists have found traces of ancient mammoth DNA in permanently frozen soil layers in present-day Alaska. These layers date to 10,500 years ago.
Which piece of evidence from the passage supports the theory that humans may not have been responsible for the extinction of the woolly mammoth?
Answers
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Explanation
The correct answer is option (c). This evidence supports the theory that climate change, rather than human overhunting, led to the extinction of the woolly mammoth. It indicates that mammoths survived thousands of years after humans first arrived in North America, suggesting that the species was able to coexist with humans before ultimately succumbing to environmental changes.
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