Question

Dendrochronology is:

• A. The method of scientific dating based on the analysis of tree-ring growth patterns.
• B. A core sample from the accumulation of snow and ice over many years that have re-crystallized and have trapped air bubbles from previous time periods.
• C. The study of glaciers or more generally ice and natural phenomena that involve ice.
• D. The scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them.

Hint:

Split the word into "dendro" (tree) and "chronology" (dating by time).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Let's use the word's roots to work out the meaning, then match it to the options.

1. Tree-ring dating (option A): "dendro" means tree and "chronology" means dating by time order. This matches a method that reads tree rings to date events, so it fits.
2. Ice core sample (option B): this describes a technique used in ice and climate studies, with no reference to trees, so it does not match the word's roots.
3. Glaciology (option C): this is the study of ice and glaciers, again unrelated to tree growth, so it fails the word root test.
4. Landform study (option D): this describes geomorphology, which studies hills, valleys and rivers, not trees, so it also fails.

Only option A connects to both parts of the word "dendrochronology", confirming it as correct.

Let's summarize:

• Breaking a scientific term into its word parts often reveals its meaning directly.

This root based check is faster than memorising every science definition separately.