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Reading Comprehension :: RE: An extinction event (also known as a mass extinction

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Author: DavidG@VeritasPrep
Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 5:39 am (GMT -8)

Quote:
It can be inferred from the passage that:

a) in an extinction event, there is a dramatic decrease in microbial life on earth.
b) over 90% of easily observed, biologically complex species become extinct during a biotic crisis.
c) the background extinction rate of animal and plant species is well below 50%.
d) marine fossils are easier to find and thus more useful to those studying mass extinction events.
e) new species do not emerge during a mass extinction event.

OA: C

This is very generic question . Do we need to sum up all three para?
The correct answer doesn't have to capture the gist of the entire passage. Rather, it's best to simply go through the answer choices one by one and find one that has textual support somewhere. In the last paragraph we could these two sentences:

1) Since life began on Earth, the five major mass extinctions have significantly exceeded the background extinction rate for animal and plant species.
and
2) In the past 540 million years, during each of these five major events, over 50% of animal and plant species died.

If the background extinction rate is far lower than the extinction rate during a major event, and during a major event over 50% of animal and plant species die, it stands to reason that the background extinction rate is far below that 50% threshold. The answer is C
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