|Question 8Verbal

Source Texts

Text
Text 1

As part of a study of ungulates (hoofed mammals) native to the Yellowstone River basin, fresh dung samples from identified individuals were collected in the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Bison Range of Montana. Based on steroidal analysis, on average the bison and elk samples had similar levels of beta-sitosterol and stigmastanol, which distinguished these species' profiles from that of moose.

Text 2

Although fecal-steroidal profile alone is not sufficient to distinguish between samples from bison and those from elk, the relative levels of zoostanols (steroids with animal origins), such as coprostanol and 24-ethyl-coprostanol, in sediments at Buffalo Ford Lake in Yellowstone National Park show that bison, elk, or both were the predominant ungulates in the lake's watershed for all strata of sediment examined, going as far back as 2,300 years.
Which conclusion about steroid profiles is supported by information in both Text 1 and Text 2?
The profiles for bison and elk contain similar concentrations of various steroids.
A
Each of the ungulate species in the Buffalo Ford Lake watershed has a distinctive and unique steroidal profile.
B
Some steroids in the bison and elk profiles are more likely than others to be preserved for long time spans.
C
The profiles of ungulates in and around the Yellowstone basin show that bison and elk have historically been more prevalent than moose in the area.
D