Question

guided practice
which describes a mass extinction?
a. a short period of time when many species die
b. a dying of a population due to competition with another species
c. a single event that causes the death of a single species
d. a period of time when unfilled niches lead to rapid evolution

Explanation:

A mass extinction is defined as an event where a large number of species go extinct within a relatively short geological timeframe. Option B refers to competitive exclusion of a single population, not mass extinction. Option C describes the extinction of one species, not many. Option D refers to adaptive radiation, which follows mass extinctions but is not the extinction event itself.

Answer:

A. a short period of time when many species die