The giant Chicxulub crater in Mexico provides indisputable evidence

The giant Chicxulub crater in Mexico provides indisputable evidence that a huge asteroid, about six miles across, struck Earth around the time many of the last dinosaur species were becoming extinct. But this catastrophe was probably not responsible for most of these extinctions. Any major asteroid strike kills many organisms in or near the region of the impact, but there is little evidence that such a strike could have a worldwide effect. Indeed, some craters even larger than the Chicxulub crater were made during times in Earth’s history when there were no known extinctions.

Summarizing the underlined: Dinosaurs were becoming extinct, however the author argues that Chicxulub asteroid impact could not have wiped out all the remaining dinosaurs, even though such impacts have killed organisms in the near region.

Need to prove that this particular asteroid impact did cause the death of majority of dinosaurs that resulted in extinction of the species.


(A) The vast majority of dinosaur species are known to have gone extinct well before the time of the asteroid impact that produced the Chicxulub crater.
Mentioned in stimulus already, doesnt add anything to the argument.

(B) The size of a crater caused by an asteroid striking Earth generally depends on both the size of that asteroid and the force of its impact.
Size of crater is irrelevant to the argument.

(C) Fossils have been discovered of a number of dinosaurs that clearly died as a result of the asteroid impact that produced the Chicxulub crater.
Mentioned in stimulus- organisms at or near the impact are killed. Doesn't explain why all the remaining dinosaurs died.

(D) There is no evidence that any other asteroid of equal size struck Earth at the same time as the asteroid that produced the Chicxulub crater.
This would strengthen the argument that something other than asteroid impact caused the extinction.

(E) During the period immediately before the asteroid that produced the Chicxulub crater struck, most of the world’s dinosaurs lived in or near the region of the asteroid’s impending impact.
Weakens the argument- stimulus mentioned organisms living In or near to asteroid impact would be killed off. Stimulus also mentions that dinosaurs were already on the verge of extinction. Hence, if all the remaining dinosaurs lived in the area of this particular impact, it would explain why the species would become extinct in an instant.