According to a theory advanced by researcher Paul Martin, the wave of species extinctions that occurred in North America about 11,000 years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene era, can be directly attributed to the arrival of humans, i.e., the Paleoindians, who were ancestors of modern Native Americans. However, anthropologist Shepard Krech points out that large animal species vanished even in areas where there is no evidence to demonstrate that Paleoindians hunted them. Nor were extinctions confined to large animals: small animals, plants, and insects disappeared, presumably not all through human consumption. Krech also contradicts Martin's exclusion of climatic change as an explanation by asserting that widespread climatic change did indeed occur at the end of the Pleistocene. Still, Krech attributes secondary if not primary responsibility for the extinctions to the Paleoindians, arguing that humans have produced local extinctions elsewhere. But, according to historian Richard White, even the attribution of secondary responsibility may not be supported by the evidence. White observes that Martin's thesis depends on coinciding dates for the arrival of humans and the decline of large animal species, and Krech, though aware that the dates are controversial, does not challenge them; yet recent archaeological discoveries are providing evidence that the date of human arrival was much earlier than 11,000 years ago.

第1题 第2题 第3题 第4题 第5题

In the last sentence of the passage, the author refers to "recent archaeological discoveries" (see highlighted text) most probably in order to


refute White's suggestion that neither Martin nor Krech adequately account for Paleoindians' contributions to the Pleistocene extinctions

cast doubt on the possibility that a more definitive theory regarding the causes of the Pleistocene extinctions may be forthcoming

suggest that Martin's, Krech's, and White's theories regarding the Pleistocene extinctions are all open to question

call attention to the most controversial aspect of all the current theories regarding the Pleistocene extinctions

provide support for White's questioning of both Martin's and Krech's positions regarding the role of Paleoindians in the Pleistocene extinctions

加入错题本 分享
纠错
考题讲解

此讲解的内容由AI生成，还未经人工审阅，仅供参考。

正确答案是 E。最后一句话提到最近的考古发现支持了 Richard White 对于 Paul Martin 和 Shepard Krech 的 Pleistocene 灭绝观点的质疑，因此选择了 E 选项，即提供对 White 关于 Martin 和 Krech 对 Pleistocene 灭绝角色的质疑的支持。

展开显示

登录 或 注册 后可以参加讨论

Prep2012-RC