Question

researchers examining data from the new horizons space probe, which passed pluto in 2015, were puzzled by a 27 - mile - long crater on plutos icy surface. although pluto is mostly covered in frozen methane and nitrogen, the surface near the crater seemed to show the presence of water ice and ammonia - both of which are associated with eruptions from ice volcanoes. additionally, the shape and appearance of the crater did not suggest that it was formed by impact. based on this evidence, scientist dale cruikshank and his team hypothesized that the crater was likely once a massive ice volcano. which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole? a it introduces previous findings that suggested a research method for cruikshank and his team. b it implies that the research team eliminated an alternative explanation for the crater based on available evidence. c it emphasizes the importance of the new horizons space probe to researchers. d it identifies a misconception that the researchers had about the crater when they were first studying the data.

Explanation:

The underlined sentence shows that the researchers, based on the evidence, ruled out the idea that the crater was formed by impact and hypothesized it was once an ice - volcano. This implies they eliminated an alternative explanation for the crater.

Answer:

B. It implies that the research team eliminated an alternative explanation for the crater based on available evidence.