The following questions refer to the paragraph below.
A sediment core is removed from the floor of an inland sea. The sea has been in existence, off and on, throughout the entire time that terrestrial life has existed. Researchers wish to locate and study the terrestrial organisms fossilized in this core. The core is illustrated as a vertical column, with the top of the column representing the most recent strata and the bottom representing the time when land was first colonized by life.

Figure 25.2
-Which of the following reasons may explain why the sediment core lacks fossils of dragonflies with 3-feet wingspans?
1)This particular sediment core includes the correct stratum, but the part of the stratum captured by the core lacks such fossils.
2)The sea was not present at this site during the time that 3-feet dragonflies existed.
3)Dragonflies have no hard parts, such as exoskeletons, to fossilize.
4)The sediments containing these fossils at this site may have been eroded away during a time when the sea had receded from this site.
5)Dragonflies are terrestrial; therefore, fossils of terrestrial organisms should not be expected in the sediments of seas.
A) 1 only
B) 3 only
C) 5 only
D) 2 or 4
E) 1, 2, or 4

Question

The following questions refer to the paragraph below.
A sediment core is removed from the floor of an inland sea. The sea has been in existence, off and on, throughout the entire time that terrestrial life has existed. Researchers wish to locate and study the terrestrial organisms fossilized in this core. The core is illustrated as a vertical column, with the top of the column representing the most recent strata and the bottom representing the time when land was first colonized by life.
  
Figure 25.2
-Which of the following reasons may explain why the sediment core lacks fossils of dragonflies with 3-feet wingspans?
1)This particular sediment core includes the correct stratum, but the part of the stratum captured by the core lacks such fossils.
2)The sea was not present at this site during the time that 3-feet dragonflies existed.
3)Dragonflies have no hard parts, such as exoskeletons, to fossilize.
4)The sediments containing these fossils at this site may have been eroded away during a time when the sea had receded from this site.
5)Dragonflies are terrestrial; therefore, fossils of terrestrial organisms should not be expected in the sediments of seas.
A) 1 only 
B) 3 only 
C) 5 only 
D) 2 or 4 
E) 1, 2, or 4

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

1, 2, and 4 are plausible explanations for the absence of large dragonfly fossils in the sediment core. 1) It's possible the core missed the specific part of the stratum where such fossils are found. 2) If the sea wasn't present when these dragonflies existed, their fossils wouldn't be in marine sediments. 4) Erosion could have removed the sediments containing these fossils if the sea had receded.

The Following Questions Refer to the Paragraph Below