Question 153·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The greater honeyguide is a small African bird that leads people to wild bee nests.
- After humans harvest the honey, the birds feed on the remaining wax and larvae.
- In northern Mozambique, Yao honey-hunters attract the birds with a distinctive "brrr-hmm" trill.
- In controlled experiments, playback of the trill increased the likelihood of a honeyguide approaching by about 66 percent compared with other sounds.
- Honeyguides seldom respond to unfamiliar noises made by humans.
The student wants to add a sentence to support the claim that honeyguides and humans actively communicate to their mutual benefit. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For questions that ask which sentence best supports a claim using research notes, first underline the crucial words in the claim (here, “actively communicate” and “mutual benefit”). Then scan the notes specifically for details that match both ideas at once, especially any cause-and-effect or experimental evidence. Finally, compare the answer choices and pick the one that most directly expresses that key note information in one sentence, avoiding options that are merely background facts or that show only one side of the relationship.
Hints
Focus on the key words in the claim
Underline or note the words actively communicate and mutual benefit in the claim. Any good supporting sentence should connect clearly to both ideas, not just one.
Look for intentional signals and responses
In the notes, find information that shows humans doing something on purpose to get the birds’ attention and the birds actually responding to that specific action.
Check that the sentence fits the larger relationship
Remember that other notes describe how humans get honey and birds get food. Which sentence best shows a communication behavior that would support this cooperative relationship?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand exactly what the claim needs
The claim is that honeyguides and humans actively communicate to their mutual benefit.
Break that into parts:
- Actively communicate: there should be some intentional signal from one side and a response from the other.
- Mutual benefit: both humans and birds should gain something from the interaction (for example, humans get honey; birds get food).
Scan the notes for evidence of active communication
Look through the notes asking: Where do humans send a signal to birds, and where do birds clearly respond?
From the notes:
- One note says humans use a distinctive brrr-hmm trill to attract the birds.
- Another note says that in experiments, playback of this trill makes a honeyguide more likely to approach than other sounds.
Together, these show humans are intentionally calling the birds, and the birds are responding in a predictable way. That is strong evidence of active communication.
Check for mutual benefit
Now confirm that the communication benefits both sides, at least in the overall description.
Other notes say:
- Honeyguides lead people to wild bee nests (benefits humans: they can get honey).
- After humans harvest the honey, the birds feed on the leftover wax and larvae (benefits the birds).
So if a sentence shows that humans and birds are using signals to coordinate this interaction, it supports the idea that both parties gain from this communication.
Match the best supporting sentence to the answer choices
Now look at the answer options and ask: Which one directly shows humans signaling and birds responding in a way that fits this mutually beneficial relationship?
Choice B says that in northern Mozambique, Yao honey-hunters attract the birds with a distinctive brrr-hmm trill, and experiments show that playback of the trill increases the likelihood of a honeyguide approaching by about 66 percent compared with other sounds. This clearly describes humans sending a signal and birds reliably responding, which is exactly the kind of active communication that underlies their mutually beneficial partnership.
Therefore, B is the correct answer.