Questions Below Refer To The Following Passage. As you read the following passage, you will notice that the writing is particularly clear and precise because of the many technical terms employed. This is characteristic of science materials. It is important for the author to present ideas in such a way that the reader can establish relationships between details and facts. As in the previous section, we will concentrate on some of the study skills taught earlier: scanning, understanding relationships, and locating specific information. About a billion years after the earth had formed, the... Show more Questions Below Refer To The Following Passage. As you read the following passage, you will notice that the writing is particularly clear and precise because of the many technical terms employed. This is characteristic of science materials. It is important for the author to present ideas in such a way that the reader can establish relationships between details and facts. As in the previous section, we will concentrate on some of the study skills taught earlier: scanning, understanding relationships, and locating specific information. About a billion years after the earth had formed, the first signs of life appeared. Three billion years elapsed before creatures became complex enough to leave fossils their descendants could recognize and learn from. These were shelled creatures called trilobites, followed by jawless fish, the first vertebrates. During the Devonian period, great upheavals occurred in the earth’s crust, resulting in the formation of mountains and in the ebb and flow of oceans. In the aftermath, beds of mud rich in organic matter nourished vegetation, and insects, scorpions, and spiders appeared. Next developed the amphibians, descendants of fish that had crawled out of fresh water. Between 225 and 65 million years ago, reptiles developed from which many new forms grew until finally evolved the mammal. Dinosaurs were overgrown reptiles. Although some were as small as chickens, others grew to be the largest animals on Earth, as long as 82 feet and as heavy as 50 tons, with long necks and a liking for a vegetarian diet. Current theory suggests that dinosaurs were warm-blooded and behaved more like mammals than like reptiles. The end of the Mesozoic Era (middle life) saw the inexplicable demise of dinosaurs and large swimming and flying birds. Geological changes were converting the giant land mass into separate continents. The beginning of a new era, called Cenozoic (recent life), saw the marked predominance of mammals that would ultimately become man’s ancestors. Show less
Questions Below Refer To The Following Passage.
As you read the following passage, you will notice that the writing is particularly clear and precise because of the many technical terms employed. This is characteristic of science materials. It is important for the author to present ideas in such a way that the reader can establish relationships between details and facts. As in the previous section, we will concentrate on some of the study skills taught earlier: scanning, understanding relationships, and locating specific information.
About a billion years after the earth had formed, the first signs of life appeared. Three billion years elapsed before creatures became complex enough to leave fossils their descendants could recognize and learn from. These were shelled creatures called trilobites, followed by jawless fish, the first vertebrates. During the Devonian period, great upheavals occurred in the earth’s crust, resulting in the formation of mountains and in the ebb and flow of oceans. In the aftermath, beds of mud rich in organic matter nourished vegetation, and insects, scorpions, and spiders appeared. Next developed the amphibians, descendants of fish that had crawled out of fresh water. Between 225 and 65 million years ago, reptiles developed from which many new forms grew until finally evolved the mammal. Dinosaurs were overgrown reptiles. Although some were as small as chickens, others grew to be the largest animals on Earth, as long as 82 feet and as heavy as 50 tons, with long necks and a liking for a vegetarian diet. Current theory suggests that dinosaurs were warm-blooded and behaved more like mammals than like reptiles. The end of the Mesozoic Era (middle life) saw the inexplicable demise of dinosaurs and large swimming and flying birds. Geological changes were converting the giant land mass into separate continents. The beginning of a new era, called Cenozoic (recent life), saw the marked predominance of mammals that would ultimately become man’s ancestors.
Join 4M+ learners. Unlock unlimited quizzes, wrong-answer tracking, flashcards + reminders, study guides, and 1-on-1 challenges.