PrepTest 120, Section 3, Question 2
Being near woodlands, the natural habitat of bees,(28 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(6 more words not shown)
- AThe likelihood that(13 more words not shown)
- BMany bees live(5 more words not shown)
- CWoodlands are not(6 more words not shown)
- DSome pollinators visit(15 more words not shown)
- EMany crops that(7 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
More bees nearby sounds useful for a crop that depends on pollination. The argument initially makes sense: bees visit flowers near the woods more often, so the author thinks those crops benefit from being there.
What we’re looking for
But does a greater number of visits actually mean more pollination? We need that connection. Otherwise, counting visits wouldn't tell us whether the bees are providing more of what these plants need. We could also wonder whether something else near the woods, such as access to water, helps crops. That's a possibility, not an established explanation. For this strengthener, though, I'd focus on tying the given evidence to the conclusion: more bee visits should make successful pollination more likely.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
More visits from pollinators mean a greater chance of pollination. Now the evidence does clearer work: flowers near woodlands get more bee visits, those visits make pollination more likely, and the crops in question depend on pollination. A connects proximity to the woods with the benefit the author claims. It needn't establish that proximity is the only factor affecting crop health.
- B
Bees can live somewhere else while woodlands still provide a useful nearby source of bees. The argument doesn't claim that woods are their only habitat. This additional fact doesn't connect the extra visits near woodlands with better pollination or healthier crops.
- C
Other pollinators might naturally live elsewhere. We already know bees live near woodlands and are the most common pollinators. Learning that some other pollinators have different habitats doesn't establish that crops benefit from being near the woods.
- D
Some pollinators travel farther more often, but we aren't told those are the bees described here. The passage gives us the relevant bees' opposite pattern: more visits close to woodlands. D supplies no reason to think that this nearby activity benefits the crops. If anything, a general advantage for distant flowers would point away from the author's explanation.
- E
A crop can need pollination whether or not it is planted near woods. That doesn't tell us how well its need is met. Crops farther away might receive pollination from other sources, or they might struggle; E doesn't say. We need evidence about the benefit of proximity, not merely another group of crops with the same need.
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