Question 56·Medium·Text Structure and Purpose
The following passage is adapted from a 2022 magazine article about honey-bee populations.
In the last two decades, beekeepers around the globe have watched their hives thin and falter, an unsettling trend now termed colony-collapse disorder. Scientists first documented the losses in commercial apiaries, where perfectly healthy bees seemed simply to vanish. Subsequent studies traced the disappearance to a web of stressors: pesticides that muddle bees’ navigation, mites that sap their strength, and shrinking fields of wildflowers that leave them underfed. Yet the news is not uniformly grim. Researchers have begun breeding mite-resistant queens, farmers are setting aside pollinator strips rich in clover and yarrow, and several nations have restricted the most harmful sprays. Together, these efforts hint that the long decline of the honey-bee may still be reversible.
Which choice best describes the structure of the passage?
For structure questions, first ignore the answer choices and quickly outline what each major part of the passage does (beginning, middle, end). Use short phrases like "introduces a problem," "explains causes," "gives examples," "compares viewpoints," or "proposes solutions." Then compare your outline with each choice and eliminate any option that mentions something you don’t see in the passage (like multiple viewpoints, a strict timeline, or a formal definition). Finally, select the choice whose description matches the sequence of moves you identified, in the correct order.
Hints
Check the opening sentences
Reread the first two sentences. What situation or condition is the author describing, and how is it characterized?
Focus on the middle of the passage
In the sentence beginning "Subsequent studies traced the disappearance...," what kind of information is being given about the bee losses?
Notice the shift signaled by "Yet"
Look at the sentence starting with "Yet the news is not uniformly grim." How does the focus of the passage change after this word, and what kinds of things are described in the last part?
Summarize the three main moves
Try to describe, in your own words, what the passage does in the beginning, the middle, and the end—then look for the choice whose description follows that same three-part pattern.
Step-by-step Explanation
Recognize the question type
This question asks about the structure of the passage, meaning you need to describe what the author is doing overall and in what order (for example: introducing an issue, explaining something, giving solutions, comparing views, etc.). You should think in terms of big-picture moves, not small details.
Break the passage into parts and summarize each
Look at how the passage develops from beginning to end:
- First part: "In the last two decades... now termed colony-collapse disorder" and "Scientists first documented the losses..." — these sentences describe an alarming situation involving bee colonies and give it a name.
- Middle: "Subsequent studies traced the disappearance to a web of stressors: pesticides..., mites..., shrinking fields..." — this section explains reasons or causes for the bee losses.
- Final part: "Yet the news is not uniformly grim... Researchers have begun..., farmers are..., several nations have restricted..." — here the author describes concrete steps people are taking in response to the problem and suggests things might improve.
Match your summary to the answer choices
Now compare your three-part summary with each option:
- One option talks about a chronological history of discoveries — that would require a time-ordered sequence of different findings, which you don’t see here.
- Another mentions opposing viewpoints — but the passage only presents one perspective, not a debate.
- Another focuses on defining a term and then giving many examples of the definition — while a term is named, the main focus is not just defining it.
- The remaining choice describes a structure where an issue is introduced, its underlying reasons are discussed, and then actions intended to help are described. This exactly fits the passage, so the correct answer is: It describes a problem, analyzes its causes, and then presents measures aimed at solving it.