Read the following paragraph from an essay:

Residents of the western U.S. must prepare for larger and more damaging wildfires in the years to come. These are inevitable because of two consequences of global warming that make forests more likely to burn: shorter and dryer winters, and frequent and long-lasting droughts. In the past, large, slow-melting snowpacks kept the forest cool, lush, and moist well until fall. Lately, small snowpacks that disappear by early spring mean grass and shrubs are dry and ready to burn by mid-summer. Intense droughts kill not just smaller plants but large trees, too, so that wildfires have enough fuel to spread more easily and burn hotter than ever before.

The topic sentence of this paragraph is “Residents of the western U.S. must prepare for larger and more damaging wildfires in the years to come.” What part of the passage provides evidentiary support?


Lately, small snowpacks that disappear by early spring mean grass and shrubs are dry and ready to burn by mid-summer.


These are inevitable because of two consequences of global warming that make forests more likely to burn: shorter and dryer winters, and frequent and log-lasting droughts.


Intense droughts kill not just smaller plants but large trees too, so that wildfires have enough fuel to spread more easily and burn hotter than ever before.


In the past, large, slow-melting snowpacks kept the forest cool, lush, and moist well until fall.