PrepTest 138, Section 1, Question 14
The characteristic smell or taste of a plant,(453 more words not shown)
Based on the passage, the(21 more words not shown)
- AThe diversity of(26 more words not shown)
- BAlthough few species(27 more words not shown)
- CThroughout the process(23 more words not shown)
- DNo particular secondary(27 more words not shown)
- EWhile many species(21 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Separate the appearance of a new chemical from the reason it persists. A genetic mutation produces a secondary substance. An insect's response can then make that substance advantageous: perhaps it attracts a pollinator or discourages a plant eater. Natural selection favors the plant that benefits.
What we’re looking for
The insects influence which substances remain without directly producing a particular mutation. That distinction is the key relationship to keep clear.
Working the answers
- A
A major evolutionary influence doesn't establish a mathematical proportion between the number of insects encountered and the diversity of chemicals. No such measurement or relationship is given.
- B
The text doesn't limit beneficial interaction to few plant species or establish how many insect species use plants without helping or harming them. It describes particular beneficial and defensive relationships, not these population-wide proportions.
- C
The number of plant species within families and the number of families over time are never tracked. Restricted insect diets don't tell us how those taxonomic counts changed.
- DCorrect
Mutations are the stated source of new substances; insect-related advantages help explain which are favored by selection. For example, a mutation might produce a feeding deterrent, and reduced insect damage could then help plants with that substance survive and reproduce. Appearance and retention have different explanations.
- E
Several ways around defenses are described, but the author never rules out outright immunity. A list of ways insects can cope is not a statement that another way has never occurred.
More Organization questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Organization questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.