Question

instructions
read the question carefully and select the best answer.
which conclusion about human beings is most strongly supported by the passage below (paragraphs 19-20)?
within weeks, rhode island is a graveyard of billions.
the survivors spread out across the face of the world and struggle to build a new civilization atop the pipeline ruins of the old. our species staggers on, but our population has been greatly reduced. earth’s orbit is completely unaffected—it spins along exactly as it did before our species wide junky.
but at least now we know.
a rhode island is the smallest us state in land area, but it is still large enough to contain billions of graves.
b organizers of any future \species wide lump\ should consider potential outcomes of such an event.
c human beings cannot strongly affect the earth’s orbit, but they can affect one another a great deal.
d it would be important to learn the outcome of this experiment, no matter the cost.

Explanation:

The passage describes a scenario where human populations are drastically reduced, but human civilization persists and Earth's orbit remains unchanged. This directly supports the idea that human beings cannot strongly affect Earth's orbit, while still being able to impact one another (as seen in the surviving civilization). Option A is irrelevant to conclusions about humans. Option B is not mentioned in the passage. Option D is also not addressed in the provided text.

Answer:

C. Human beings cannot strongly affect the Earth's orbit, but they can affect one another a great deal.