Passage Summary: Tectonic plates crashing together create huge mountains, but wind and rain are constantly trying to wear them down. Strangely, the tallest mountains on Earth are usually found in the exact places where the wind and rain are the strongest.

Reasoning: Mountain ranges are created by tectonic plates colliding, yet they are eroded by wind and rain; curiously, the tallest mountains are typically located in regions where these erosive forces are most intense.

Analysis: This stimulus presents a classic paradox where a destructive force (erosion) is most active in the same location as the highest concentration of the thing it destroys (tall mountains). To resolve this, we need a piece of information that explains why high erosion doesn't prevent mountains from reaching record heights. Perhaps the very geological activity that pushes the mountains up also creates the weather patterns that cause the erosion, or the upward growth simply happens much faster than the rain can wash it away. Look for an answer that provides a link between the formation process and the erosive environment.