Question

Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

• A. Lines 16528 - 94538 (Although scientists knew of this phenomenon in the South China Sea and beyond, they didn't know exactly how internal waves formed.)
• B. Lines 69817 - 28633 (As the tide rises and falls and water moves through the strait, colder, denser water is pushed up over the ridges into warmer, less dense layers above it.)
• C. Lines 12531 - 19132 (As these waves move toward land, they become steeper - much the same way waves at the beach become taller before they hit the shore - until they break on a continental shelf.)
• D. Lines 61484 - 22111 (Whereas the model is specific to the Luzon Strait, it can still help researchers understand how internal waves are generated in other places around the world.)

Answer 1

The correct option is D Lines 61484 - 22111 (Whereas the model is specific to the Luzon Strait, it can still help researchers understand how internal waves are generated in other places around the world.)

Tom Peacock and his team created a model of the “Luzon Strait’s underwater topography” and determined that its “distinct doubleridge shape . . . [is] responsible for generating the underwater [internal] waves.” The author notes that this model describes only internal waves in the Luzon Strait but that the team’s findings may “help researchers understand how internal waves are generated in other places around the world.” The author’s claim suggests that while internal waves in the Luzon Strait are “some of the largest in the world” due to the region’s topography, internal waves occurring in other regions may be caused by some similar factors.

This is supported by option D. In the seventh paragraph, the author provides evidence that while the researchers’ findings suggest the internal waves in the Luzon Strait are influenced by the region’s topography, the findings may “help researchers understand how internal waves are generated in other places around the world.” This statement suggests that all internal waves may be caused by some similar factors. A, B, and C are incorrect because they do not provide the best evidence that internal waves are caused by similar factors but influenced by the distinct topographies of different regions. Rather, choices A, B, and C reference general information about internal waves or focus solely on those that occur in the Luzon Strait.