A question about two texts tests whether you can judge one person’s claim using another person’s view. Read the question to find who answers whom, then put the claim being judged and its reason in a few words. For a study, separate what stayed the same from what changed and what happened. Name the response: disagree with the claim, add a limit to it, or apply it to a new case. The response must give that person’s own reason.
Hints
- Hint 1
Go back to the instructor’s final sentence and check how broad the conclusion is.
- Hint 2
In Ortiz’s experiment, compare what stayed the same with what changed. What do her results let her say about the instructor’s conclusion?
Step-by-step
Judge the claim with Ortiz’s evidence
Step 1Identify the claim
Read the question’s words Ortiz in Text 2: we’re using her view to judge the instructor’s conclusion. How strong is that conclusion? The instructor says the largest berries are simply those whose plants absorbed the most water, so water is presented as the whole explanation, not as one thing that affects growth.
- Step 2
Compare what stayed the same and what changed
What does Ortiz’s experiment show about fruit size? She gave plants equal amounts of water but changed how many insect visits their flowers received. Flowers that were more completely pollinated developed into larger, more evenly shaped strawberries, so the sizes differed even though the water supplied didn’t. Pollination also affects size, and Ortiz explains that developing seeds release natural signals that encourage fruit growth.
- Step 3
Limit the explanation
Ortiz doesn’t have to deny water’s role to challenge this conclusion. What would she say about it? She would add a limit to the explanation, and not the only influence does that by saying that both water and pollination can affect size. Choice D.