The characteristic smell or taste of a plant, to insects as well as to humans, depends on its chemical composition. βββββββ βββββββββ ββββββ βββββββ βββ ββββββββββ ββ ββββββββ βββββββββββ βββββββ βββ ββββββββββ βββ
Intro topic Β·Two kinds of chemicals in plants: primary and secondary
Chemicals determine smell and taste of plants to insects and humans.
Causal mechanism 1 Β·Insects like some scents over others
Secondary substances result from mutations. Insects prefer some scents over others, which means the substances that produce those preferred scents are more likely to be passed on to future generations.
Competition between insects and plants Β·Insects evolve to respond to plants' defenses
Might evolve way to detoxify plant's poison or store the poison in an unharmful way, for example. Might evolve way to identify poisonous plants.
Passage Style
Phenomenon-hypothesis
Single position
10.
In the passage, the author βββββββββ βββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββ ββ βββββ ββ
Question Type
Purpose in context (of word, phrase, or idea)
Structure
The author mentions primary substances in P1 part of explaining what secondary substances are. The author contrasts primary substances with secondary substances to help us understand what they donβt do.
a
provide information about βββ ββββββ ββββ βββ ββββββββββ βββββββββ
This isnβt the purpose, because (A) ignores the context. The rest of the passage is about secondary substances and the development of secondary substances. So in describing primary substances and how theyβre different from secondary substances, the authorβs purpose relates to secondary substances. The author isnβt merely trying to teach us how plants grow and absorb nutrients. That purpose wouldnβt have any connection to the rest of the passage and its focus on secondary substances.
b
help explain what βββββββββ ββββββββββ βββ
This best captures the purpose. The author tells us what primary substances do in order to help us understand what secondary substances donβt do. This is part of an explanation of secondary substances.
c
help distinguish between βββ ββββ ββββ βββββββ ββββ ββββββββ βββββ βββββββββ
The ways that insects have affected plant evolution arenβt brought up in P1 and donβt relate to the description of primary substances. So (C) canβt be the purpose of mentioning primary substances.
d
indicate the great βββββββββ ββ βββββββββ ββββ βββββ ββ βββββββ βββββββ ββ ββββββ
Although the author mentions several different primary substances, the author never characterizes these as showing a great diversity. Note that the author does say that secondary substances are a βdiverse and multitudinous array of chemicals,β but she doesnβt say this with respect to primary substances. So (D) isnβt the purpose of the discussion of primary substances.
e
provide evidence of βββββββ ββββββββββ ββ βββββββ
Nothing in P1 provides evidence of plantsβ adaptation to insects. The evidence comes in P2.
Difficulty
88% of people who answer get this correct
This is a moderately difficult question.
It is similar in difficulty to other questions in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%136
145
75%154
Analysis
Purpose in context (of word, phrase, or idea)
Structure
Phenomenon-hypothesis
Science
Single position
Answer Popularity
PopularityAvg. score
a
6%
156
b
88%
165
c
1%
149
d
4%
158
e
1%
158
Question history
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