Directions: Read the question below. You have 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise your essay. Typically, an effective response will contain a minimum of 300 words

The reading passage provides three solid reasons why a mass-extinction happened at the end of the Triassic period. The professor, however, gives three persuasive counterarguments about their validity. First, the article claims that the decline of sea levels near the end of the Triassic period could have destroyed coastal and shallow-ocean species. It also notes that these destructions could have broken the food chains worldwide, causing mass extinctions. The lecturer, on the contrary, negates the claim by stating that the sea level could not have led to mass extinctions. He added that the long period of change allowed many coastal and shallow-ocean species to adapt their environment. Second, the reading states that the climate cooling caused by volcanic activities could have exterminated many species. A rise in sulfur dioxide emitted by many volcanos could decrease global temperature. The lecturer, conversely, refutes the statement by claiming that these volcanic activities could not devastate many species. Since it was only experienced for a short time, sulfur dioxide could not have covered the global atmosphere. Also, rain could have clearly wiped it out. Third, according to the reading, a massive asteroid strike could have devastated many species. The debris from the fallen asteroid could have blocked the sun for a few years. This condition could have caused the death of plants and animals. Nevertheless, the professor contradicts the statement by claiming that the strike could not have been irrelevant to the massive extinctions. He adds that according to scientific research, the strike could have happened millions of years before the extinctions.