According to current geological theory,

Answer choices

1. A

   No Impact17% picked this

   The earth’s crust tends to crack whenever there is a sudden change in the

   We already know that a reduction in pressure from melted ice leads to cracks. This answer is saying that other changes in pressure could also lead to cracks, but why would we care? That wouldn't have anything to do with the author's storyline, so it wouldn't be strengthening her storyline. We need to know whether cracks, caused by the change in pressure from melting ice, lead to earthquakes.

   17%
2. B

   Too Weak4% picked this

   There are various areas in Northern Europe that show cracks in

   The author is assuming that there was some melting ice close enough to Sweden that it led to a change in pressure, and thus to cracks, and thus to severe earthquakes. Her causal story assumes there are some cracks near Sweden (close enough to cause earthquakes there). But this answer is saying there are cracks somewhere in Northern Europe, from some time period (might be end of Ice Age, might not). So this is too wishy-washy to tell us anything.

   4%
3. C

   No Impact9% picked this

   Evidence of severe earthquakes around the time of the end of the Ice Age can be found in

   This doesn't seem to have any impact on making the "melting ice" hypothesis more or less plausible. If we knew that there were severe earthquakes and melting ice near the end of the Ice Age in northern Canada, then that would strengthen the notion that melting ice is connected to these earthquakes. But this answer just tells us that there were also earthquakes elsewhere.

   9%
4. D

   Correct69% picked this

   Severe earthquakes are generally caused by cracking of the earth’s crust near

   Why this is right

   This helps us with our missing link in the causal chain. The author is trying to prove a causal connection between melting ice and severe earthquakes. melting ----------------------> severe ice quakes She established this so far melting ----> less ---> cracks ice pressure So she needs to establish that "cracks lead to quakes", and that's what this answer provides.

   Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   69%
5. E

   Weakens, if anything1% picked this

   Asteroid impacts, which did occur at the end of the Ice Age, generally

   This seems to point out a potential Alternate Explanation for the earthquakes, which would weaken. (As discussed earlier, technically an Alternate Explanation doesn't really weaken this argument, because the conclusion isn't saying that the earthquakes were only caused by melting ice, but still, this feels more like weaken than like strengthen).

   1%