Final answer:
The starter drive includes small pinion gears that engage the engine's flywheel or flexplate to start the engine. This system is used to rotate the crankshaft and begin the internal combustion process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question relates to the mechanism used to start an internal combustion engine. Specifically, a starter drive is a component that involves small pinion gears which engage with a larger gear, commonly referred to as a flywheel, which is attached to the engine crankshaft.
When the ignition key is turned, the electrical system of the car activates the starter motor, which in turn spins the pinion gears. These gears then mesh with the teeth of the flywheel, thus rotating it and consequently the crankshaft to initiate the engine's combustion process.
The correct completion of the given statement would be: 'A starter drive includes small pinion gears that mesh with and rotate the larger gear on the engine flywheel or flexplate for starting.'
The two options arise because vehicles can have either a flywheel (commonly found in manual transmissions) or a flexplate (commonly found in automatic transmissions), and both serve a similar purpose in the context of starting the engine.