Question

Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle and his subsequent work on evolution pushed human origins – and indeed the origins of life itself – into an unthinkably distant past. Geologists had already demonstrated that the Earth was far older than previously believed, undermining the calculation made by Archbishop Ussher (see Chapter 2).
–A History of the World in 100 Objects,
Neil MacGregor

Based on context clues in the passage, what is the best definition of the word geologist?

a person who studies the earth
a kind of ship used for exploration
a type of religious leader
a period of change and uncertainty

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer is A.

Explanation:

This passage talks about Earth and how its characteristics, such as its age, have been determined by a specific group of people who call themselves "Geologists".

From this, the reader can infer that a Geologist is a person who dedicates his or her life to study the earth.

Answer 2

Answer:

A

Explanation:

I always thought that a geologists really studies rocks and rock formations.

Certainly he would not be a ship.

Nor would he be a religious leader. If that was so, Bishop Ussher estimate of the earth's age (6000 years old) would make a geologist a religious leader.

Darwin did bring in an age of change and uncertainty, but that is not the function of a geologist.

The closest answer is A