Self-study
A commercial insect trap consists of a small box containing pesticide mixed with glucose, a sweet substance known to attract insect pests. ███ ██ ██████████ █████ ████ ████ ██ ████ ███ ████ ████ █████████ ███ ███ ████ ███████ ██████ ████████ █████████ █████ ███ ███ ████ █████████ ██ ███████████ ██████ █████ ████ ████ █████ ██ ████ ████ █████████ ███████ █████ ████ ████████ ██████████ ████ ████████████ ████ █████ ██ █████ ██████████ █████████ ██ █████████████ ███████ ██████████ ███████████ ██ ███ █████ █████████ █ ██████████ ██ ███ █████████ ██ ███ ██████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
In households that regularly used for the past several years an insect trap consisting of pesticide mixed with glucose, the trap is much less effective today. The author hypothesizes that this is because successive generations of insects developed a resistance to the pesticide in the traps.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes there isn’t another cause for the decreased effectiveness of the traps.
14.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ █████████ ██████████ ███ ███████████
a
In households where ███ █████ ████ ████ ████ ██████████ ███ ██████████ ██ ██████ █████ ████ ████ █ ███████ ████████ ██ ██████ ███████ ███ █████████ ████ ████ ██████████ ███████████
This provides an alternate explanation for the decreased effectiveness of the traps. The glucose in the trap is not as attractive anymore, which means fewer insects enter the traps. This results in decreased effectiveness, even if the insects aren’t resistant to the pesticide.
Alternate explanation
Alternate explanation
Weaken: Introduce or support an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
Strengthen: Helps to eliminate an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
b
Even when only █ ███ ███████████ ███ ██ ██ ██████ ██████████ ██ ███████ ███████ ███ ███████ ██ █ ██████████ ███ █████████ ██ █████ ███████████ ███ ███████ █████████ ██ ████ ██████████
If anything, this answer supports the author’s theory by showing resistance can develop in offspring even if one generation is almost entirely wiped out.
Directionally wrong
Directionally wrong
Answers that, if they have any effect, do the opposite of what we want (weaken when we're trying to strengthen, or strengthen when we're trying to weaken).
c
After eating glucose █████ ████ ███ ██████████ ███████ ████ ████ ██ ██████████ ████ ██ ███ ███ ███ ████ ████ ██ ███ ██ ███████ ███████ ████ ██ ███████ ████ ██████████ █████ ███ █████ ████ ████ ████ ██████████
If anything, this could support the author’s theory by showing that in households where insects haven’t had the chance to build up resistance, the trap is more effective than in households that have used the trap for several years.
Directionally wrong
Directionally wrong
Answers that, if they have any effect, do the opposite of what we want (weaken when we're trying to strengthen, or strengthen when we're trying to weaken).
d
After the manufacturer ██ ███ █████ █████████ ███ █████████████ ██ ███ █████████ ████ ██ ███ ██████ ███ █████ ████ ██ ████ █████████ ██ ███████████ █████████ ██████ █████ ████ ████ ███ ████████ ██████
This is consistent with the author’s hypothesis. Increased concentration of the pesticide should make the trap more effective. Just because the traps didn’t become more effective than the original doesn’t mean they didn’t become more effective.
Directionally wrong
Directionally wrong
Answers that, if they have any effect, do the opposite of what we want (weaken when we're trying to strengthen, or strengthen when we're trying to weaken).
e
The kind of ███████ ████ ██ ████ ███ █████ ██ ███ ██ ███████ █████████ █████ ██ ███████ ████ █████ ██████████
The fact the glucose occurs naturally doesn’t have any impact. Does natural glucose have anything to do with the traps’ decreased effectiveness? We have no reason to think so.