Which dinosaur is popularly known by a name that means thunder lizard?

Introduction / Context:
Many dinosaur names come from Greek or Latin roots that describe their appearance or the impression they made on early scientists. This question asks which dinosaur is associated with the meaning thunder lizard, a classic piece of prehistoric general knowledge.

Given Data / Assumptions:

Options include Diplodocus, Brontosaurus, Arm reptile, Cunningham and Stegosaurus. We are interested in the meaning of the name in translation. We assume standard translations of dinosaur names from Greek roots.

Concept / Approach:
The name Brontosaurus is formed from Greek words bronto meaning thunder and sauros meaning lizard. So Brontosaurus translates literally to thunder lizard. This name reflects the idea that such a huge animal walking across the ground might have made thunder like sounds. Diplodocus means double beam, referring to features of its tail vertebrae, and Stegosaurus means roof lizard or plated lizard, referring to its back plates. Cunningham and arm reptile are not standard dinosaur genus names in this context. Therefore, Brontosaurus is clearly the correct answer.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Break down the word Brontosaurus into its Greek parts bronto and sauros. Step 2: Recall that bronto is linked with thunder, as in the word brontophobia for fear of thunder. Step 3: Remember that sauros appears in many dinosaur names and means lizard or reptile. Step 4: Put the parts together to get the meaning thunder lizard. Step 5: Compare with other known dinosaurs such as Stegosaurus and Diplodocus, whose name meanings are different and do not involve the word thunder.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify by remembering that many dinosaur books explicitly mention Brontosaurus as the dinosaur whose name means thunder lizard and often explain this in side notes. If you know that Stegosaurus refers to roof like plates and Diplodocus refers to double beams in its skeleton, it becomes even clearer that thunder lizard belongs to Brontosaurus. This cross checking of name meanings helps prevent confusion between similar sounding dinosaur names.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Diplodocus, Stegosaurus and other dinosaur names have different meanings that refer to specific anatomical features, not thunder. Arm reptile and Cunningham do not correspond to standard dinosaur genera recognized in basic school level curricula and appear as distractors. None of these alternatives contain the Greek root bronto, so they cannot reasonably be translated as thunder lizard.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may confuse Brontosaurus with other large sauropods like Diplodocus because they look similar in illustrations and both have long necks and tails. Another pitfall is to ignore the etymology and guess based on which name sounds more dramatic. Fortunately, in this case the dramatic sounding name and the correct etymology match in Brontosaurus, so remembering the thunder lizard association will usually lead you to the right answer.

Final Answer:
The dinosaur whose name means thunder lizard is Brontosaurus.