I would say that the sentence in this paragraph which does not belong is A. Sentence 1.
Nobody really cares if these scientists were on a vacation with their families or not. What is important is stated in the remaining sentences - the age of the tree and its discovery, and not whether or not these people were vacationing.
Page 127.
"<span>Take him, Mr. Finch." Mr. Tate handed the rifle to Atticus; Jem and I nearly fainted.</span>
The answer is B, it contains a transitive verb. Hope it helps! :)
The answers are d, e, and f