What term refers to the ancient group believed to have died out, possibly due to a meteor or volcanic event?

• A. Dinosaurs
• B. Mammoths
• C. Triceratops
• D. Pterosaurs

Answer: (A)

Dinosaurs are the broad, ancient group that dominated for millions of years and are widely linked to the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous, an event many scientists attribute to a meteor impact and substantial volcanic activity. This connection to a global extinction event is what makes the term a perfect fit for “the ancient group believed to have died out, possibly due to a meteor or volcanic event.” Mammoths died out mainly from climate change and human activity, Triceratops is just one genus within that group, and pterosaurs were a different flying reptile lineage that also vanished around the same time, but the term that best fits the description of the entire ancient group is dinosaurs.