Question

"Everyone has seen animation of a surprised T. rex staring up into the sky at the fiery comet bringing doom upon its kind. Earth scientists love this dramatic image too, but many aren’t convinced this is really what killed the dinosaurs. In fact, there are at least three potential causes for their extinction: asteroid impact, erupting volcanoes, and sea level change.

"The dinosaurs did disappear right after a large asteroid slammed into Earth. The impact threw massive amounts of rock and steam into the air, possibly enough to block out the sun for months or years and plunge the planet into icy darkness.

"At almost exactly the same time, huge volcanoes erupted in what is now India. Rivers of lava poured out, some more than a mile deep. This activity could have injected enough dust and gas into the atmosphere to disrupt plant growth worldwide.

"If all that wasn’t drastic enough, there was also a simultaneous large drop in sea level. The shape and size of the oceans have a big influence on weather patterns. The shrinking of the seas would have caused climatic and environmental chaos."

Which selection below is a minor supporting detail of the reading?


Everyone has seen art of a surprised T. rex staring up into the sky at the fiery comet bringing doom upon its kind.


The shrinking of the seas would have caused climatic and environmental chaos.


The dinosaurs did disappear right after a large asteroid slammed into Earth.


In fact, there are at least three potential causes for their extinction: asteroid impact, erupting volcanoes, and sea level change.

Answer 1

Everyone has seen art of a surprised T. rex staring up into the sky at the fiery comet bringing doom upon its kind.

This statement is not directly related to the three potential causes of the extinction of the dinosaurs and is more of an introduction or a contextual statement. Therefore, it can be considered a minor supporting detail.

Answer 2

Everyone has seen art of a surprised T. rex staring up into the sky at the fiery comet bringing doom upon its kind.