Reading comp PrepTest 124 · Section 4 · Question 24

Passage

Questions 20-27  .        Sometimes there is no more effective means of  . controlling an agricultural pest than giving free Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Science


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • A generalization and an example
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Generalization - Sometimes, best pest control is using a predator
    • Example - Cyclamen (Cyc) (pest)/Typhlodromus (Typh) (predator mite)
    • Usual cycle - Cyc infest, get out of control year 2, Typh move in and control them

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Features of Typh that make them work
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Hungry
    • Reproduction - method and rate (Similar to Cyc)
    • Seasonal and population densities
    • Reproduce only when there’s cyc
    • Similar - Other predators that can control prey

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Study - Typh works
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Study - Greenhouse experiments - Strawberries (one with both, one with just Cyc and insecticide)
    • Results - Just Cyc = out of control; Both = Cyc under control

Paragraph 4

  • Paragraph note
    • Study backed up in real world
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • In study, insecticide more harm than good
    • Real-world studies show same thing
    • Average - Cyc population 25x with no predators

Main Point: In some cases, the most effective means of controlling an agricultural pest is by using its predator, as is exemplified by the Cyclamen/Typhlodromus relationship.

Key Lines?

Lines 1-3 - A generalization is presented

Lines 4-6 - A specific example is noted

Lines 15-16 - List of factors owing to effectiveness introduced

Lines 33-37 - Features generalized to other predators

Lines 37-40 - Studies verify generalization

Lines 52-54 - Studies backed up in real world

Meta-Structure?

Generalization/Example - This question is one of the best examples (pun intended) of the Generalization/Example Meta-Structures in the history of the exam. It starts out by making a very general - yet strong - statement about a particularly effective means of controlling a pest population. It then goes into “[a] case in point” that it spends the rest of the passage exploring. When this Meta-Structure is present, the main point is the generalization, and the correct answer to any main point question will generally reference the example, as well - though it sometimes doesn’t.

List - Paragraph 2 is a list of “several factors” that explain why Typh is such an effective predator and can keep Cyc in check. That paragraph even generalizes from Typh to other predators in the last sentence (Lines 33-37), which reinforces the Generalization/Example Meta-Structure above.

Similarities - Paragraph 2 has a lot of comparisons in its list of factors. There are similarities between Typh and Cyc that makes Typh such an effective predator, and similarities between Typh and other predators that show a pattern to what makes for an effective predator.

Last Thoughts?

Paragraph 2 is difficult. There are a lot of details in there, and so we should be sure to head back there for any question that talks about similarities, any of the individual points of comparison/factors, or anything that sounds sciency, as that paragraph is the scienciest paragraph in the passage (yes, we just made up those words).

Paragraph 4 is interesting - it takes the studies from Paragraph 3 and shows that they pan out in the real world. One inherent flaw in any study is that it doesn’t necessarily represent the real world, but this passage gets around that to an extent by showing that the results can be found outside of a lab setting.

Question prompt

It can be inferred Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Science

Strategy Overview

Review the main point, then head to the answers and use the passage/notes as necessary to work though specific details

Answer Anticipation

The use of predators to control pest populations was the central topic of the passage, and essentially everything in the passage speaks to it. As such, we won’t have any specific idea as to what the correct answer could say. Since the question stem asks about the generalization instead of the specific example, it’s likely that the generalization is going to be the basis for the correct answer instead of the example, but even that’s not certain.So with that in mind, we should review the generalization (reread the first sentence, as it’s short and there’s no reason not to have it fresh in our minds), and then we should head straight to the answer choices.

Answer choices

  1. A
    If the use of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) (Lines 43-45) Parathion kills Typh but “does not affect the cyclamen mite,” so it would make no sense to use that insecticide to control the Cyc.

  2. B
    Until the effects of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) The Author uses the Typh/Cyc example to support the idea that, in some cases, the best method of pest control is the use of natural predators. In neither the controlled experiments nor the real-world observations did the Author note anything about the effect of Typh on beneficial insects in the strawberry fields. As such, we can’t infer that she feels studying this is a necessary step before using predators to control Cyc populations.

  3. C
    Insecticides should be used Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem

    (C) (Lines 1-3) The Author’s main point is that using predators is sometimes the most effective means of controlling a pest population. Since she argues that this can be the most effective means of doing so, we can infer that she’d want to use another method only if it can be shown that this method doesn’t work in a certain case. This answer is therefore correct.

  4. D
    If an insecticide can Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) (Lines 43-45; Lines 1-3) First, the only insecticide discussed in the passage is parathion, and that has no effect on the pest population in question, so the Author doesn’t speak about insecticides that have such an effect. Second, her main point is that using predators is sometimes the most effective (“no more effective means”) method of controlling a pest population. As such, even if an insecticide could control the pest population, that opening line means the Author believes that, at least in some cases, the predators should be used, as they’re more effective. This answer is trying to prey (pun intended) on your natural concept that bugs shouldn’t be on our food - but that’s not established in the passage (nor is it true!).

  5. E
    Predators generally control pest Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) (Line 1) This is a tempting answer because it sounds like it lines up with the Author’s main point. However, she says that using predators is “[s]ometimes” the most effective means of controlling a pest population, while this answer says that this is “generally” the case - a stronger statement than the one made by the Author.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 4%
  2. B 5%
  3. C Credited 58%
  4. D 4%
  5. E 29%

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