Question scient
Scientists studying Mars long thought the history of its crust was relatively simple. One reason for this is that geologic and climate data collected by a spacecraft showed that the crust was largely composed of basalt, likely as a result of intense volcanic activity that brought about a magma ocean, which then cooled to form the planet’s surface. A study led by Valerie Payré focused on additional information—further analysis of data collected by the spacecraft and infrared wavelengths detected from Mars’s surface—that revealed the presence of surprisingly high concentrations of silica in certain regions on Mars. Since a planetary surface that formed in a mostly basaltic environment would be unlikely to contain large amounts of silica, Payré concluded that blank
Which choice most logically completes the text?
the information about silica concentrations collected by the spacecraft is likely more reliable than the silica information gleaned from infrared wavelengths detected from Mars’s surface.
high silica concentrations on Mars likely formed from a different process than that which formed the crusts of other planets.
having a clearer understanding of the composition of Mars’s crust and the processes by which it formed will provide more insight into how Earth’s crust formed.
Mars’s crust likely formed as a result of other major geological events in addition to the cooling of a magma ocean.
Scientists studying Mars long thought the history of its crust was relatively simple. One reason for
Hard-difficulty · SAT Reading & Writing · Inferences — Cause-and-effect inferences. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.
Answer explanation
Choice D is the best answer. Cooling magma would create basalt, but “a planetary surface that formed in a mostly basaltic environment would be unlikely to contain large amounts of silica.” Since Mars’s crust does contain large amounts of silica, it is unlikely that Mars’s crust was formed exclusively by cooling magma. Therefore, there were likely other major geological events that created the high silica concentrations.
Choice A is incorrect. Although the passage discusses these two methods of collecting data about Mars’s crust, it never compares their reliability, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice B is incorrect. The passage never mentions anything about the crusts of other planets, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage never mentions Earth’s crust, so there’s no basis for this inference.
More Inferences practice questions
- Researchers wanted to study how consumers’ reactions to an ad may be affected by
- Off-off-Broadway theaters emerged in the late 1950s as a rebellion against mainstream
- In documents called judicial opinions, judges explain the reasoning behind their legal
- An analysis by Alain Elayi and colleagues of coins minted in Sidon in the
- The domestic sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas ) descends from a wild animal native
- The following text is from Anton Chekhov’s 1898 short story “Ionitch”
- For its 1974 work Instant Mural , the Chicano art collective Asco taped members
- Dutch painters in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries often showed tables filled with
Browse all Information and Ideas practice questions or return to the full SAT question bank.