Two different dates have been offered as the approximate end point of the last ice age in North America. The first d...

Ravi on May 13, 2019

@Shiyi-Zhang,

Great question.

(E) says, "Toward the end of the ice age, warmth-adapted open-ground
beetles colonized the new terrain opened to them faster than soil
changes and seed dispersion established new spruce forests."

The stimulus of the passage makes the implication that the
warmth-adapted open-ground beetles were around before spruce forests
were. This makes it quite likely that the beetles colonized the new
terrain more quickly than the seed dispersion and soil changes
established by spruce forests. Thus, (E) is the correct answer choice.

Does this make sense? Let us know if you have any other questions!

Nina on May 11, 2021

Hello - can you explain why (C) is incorrect? My issue with (E) is that the warmth-adapted beetles could have colonized "sooner" than the spruce forests, but "faster" than spruce forests did not seem supported by the passage. Meaning, they could have colonized at the same speed rate, just sooner.