The student wants to emphasize the aim of the research study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A
Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell, researchers at Wichita State University, wanted to know if woodland expansion is related to changes in climate.
B
Thanks to the work done by Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell, we now know that droughts may have played a role in woodland expansion.
C
Wichita State University researchers have determined that tree population growth was associated with dry intervals.
D
Thomas Rogers and F. Leland Russell analyzed core samples from oak trees on a site that was not wooded in the past, indexing the age of the trees with historical climate data.
Explanation
Correct answer: A.
Choice A is the best answer. The sentence effectively emphasizes the aim, or goal, of the research study (in other words, what the researchers hoped to learn from the study): Rogers and Russell wanted to know if woodland expansion is related to changes in climate.
Why the other choices are wrong
Choice B
Choice B is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the researchers’ findings; it doesn’t emphasize the aim of the study.
Choice C
Choice C is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the results of the study; it doesn’t emphasize the aim.
Choice D
Choice D is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the methodology of the study; it doesn’t emphasize the aim.