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Information and IdeasHardInference from a change in pollen

Information and Ideas practice question

In the bog's lower layers, the preserved pollen is mostly from oak and elm. In the upper layers it is mostly from grasses and cereal crops, and the change between the two is abrupt. This suggests that at some point ____

Which choice most logically completes the text?

  1. A. the forest around the bog was cleared and the land was farmed.Correct
  2. B. oak and elm became unable to grow anywhere near bogs.
  3. C. the bog dried out completely.
  4. D. pollen stopped being preserved in the bog.

Answer: A. the forest around the bog was cleared and the land was farmed.

Trees below, crops above, with a sharp boundary: forest replaced by farmland.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. oak and elm became unable to grow anywhere near bogs.
Nothing suggests trees can't grow near bogs; they did, in the lower layers.
C. the bog dried out completely.
Pollen continued to be preserved in the upper layers, so the bog persisted.
D. pollen stopped being preserved in the bog.
The upper layers contain pollen.

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