hard · LSAT Logical Reasoning
Planetary scientist: Repeated spectra of the exoplanet Nera show that atmospheric methane rises sharply during its illuminated season and falls during darkness. Seasonal heating could increase volcanic release, but measured sulfur dioxide—a gas expected from Nera's modeled volcanic chemistry—does not rise with methane. The methane cycle is therefore more likely generated by a light-dependent biological process than by seasonal volcanism.
Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
- Under Nera-like air, microbes produce methane without sulfur dioxide; plausible hot-rock sources produce both.
- The telescope that recorded Nera’s spectra was separately calibrated for changes in visible brightness, using the observatory’s standard reference lamps before each atmospheric observation.
- Nera's illuminated season is slightly longer than its dark season.
- A different exoplanet with active volcanoes has both methane and sulfur dioxide in its atmosphere.
- Methane can persist in some planetary atmospheres for thousands of years.
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