Question 99·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Myrmecologists are scientists who study ants.
- The Argentine ant is an invasive species that establishes supercolonies outside its native range.
- One uninterrupted colony stretches about 6,000 kilometers along the Mediterranean coast.
- In its native South American habitat, the Argentine ant forms colonies that seldom exceed 100 meters and colonies often fight one another.
- Genetic studies show that invasive populations possess markedly lower genetic diversity than native ones.
- Scientists have linked this reduced diversity to decreased aggression among ants from different nests.
The student wants to make and support a generalization about how genetic diversity can affect Argentine ant behavior when the species is introduced to new environments. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For note-based rhetorical synthesis questions, first restate the task in your own words (for example, “summarize how X affects Y using these notes”). Then quickly mark the notes that directly relate to that task (here, notes mentioning genetic diversity, aggression, and invasive supercolonies). Next, check each answer choice against three filters: (1) it must match the task (include both the topic and the required relationship, like genetics → behavior), (2) it must be supported by the notes (ideally combining more than one), and (3) it must not contradict any note. Use these filters to eliminate distractors that are true but irrelevant, too narrow, only about the native habitat, or that introduce claims the notes disprove, leaving the one that best integrates the key points.
Hints
Clarify the student’s goal
Focus on the phrase "make and support a generalization about how genetic diversity can affect Argentine ant behavior when the species is introduced to new environments." Which choices actually connect genetic diversity to behavior in introduced (invasive) settings?
Locate the most important notes
Look closely at the notes that mention invasive populations, genetic diversity, and aggression between nests. How might these ideas combine into a single broad statement?
Use elimination by mismatch or contradiction
Eliminate any answer that (1) only talks about ants in their native range, (2) talks about where ants live but not about genetics or behavior, or (3) contradicts the notes about what scientists have already found.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the question is asking for
The prompt says the student wants to "make and support a generalization" about how genetic diversity can affect Argentine ant behavior when the species is introduced to new environments.
So the right answer must:
- Be a generalization (not just a single unrelated fact).
- Talk about genetic diversity.
- Connect genetic diversity to behavior (like aggression or cooperation).
- Focus on ants in introduced (invasive) environments, not just in their native range.
- Be clearly supported by the notes.
Pull out the most relevant notes
From the notes, the key points related to the task are:
- Argentine ants establish supercolonies outside their native range; one is 6,000 kilometers long along the Mediterranean.
- In native South America, colonies are small (under 100 meters) and often fight one another.
- Invasive populations have markedly lower genetic diversity than native ones.
- Scientists have linked this reduced diversity to decreased aggression among ants from different nests.
Put together, the notes suggest: in new environments, low genetic diversity in invasive populations is connected to less aggression between nests and allows the formation of very large, cooperative supercolonies.
Test each answer choice against the task and the notes
Now check each option to see whether it:
- Makes a generalization about behavior in introduced environments.
- Connects that behavior to genetic diversity.
- Matches (and does not contradict) the notes.
- Choice A: Talks about small colonies and fighting in native South America only. No mention of genetic diversity or introduced environments.
- Choice C: Talks about wide geographic distribution (several continents). No mention of genetic diversity or specific behavior.
- Choice D: Mentions lower diversity in invasive populations but says researchers "have yet to determine why"—which conflicts with the note that scientists have linked reduced diversity to decreased aggression.
Only one remaining choice ties low genetic diversity in invasive populations to reduced aggression and unusually large, cooperative groups, using the Mediterranean supercolony as the example.
Confirm the best-supported generalization
The choice that correctly generalizes from the notes is:
B) The 6,000-kilometer Mediterranean supercolony of Argentine ants illustrates how low genetic diversity in invasive populations can suppress aggression and allow unusually large cooperative groups.
This option:
- Uses the Mediterranean supercolony (introduced range) as an example.
- Explicitly connects low genetic diversity (from genetic studies of invasive populations) to suppressed aggression (decreased aggression among nests).
- Explains how this leads to unusually large cooperative groups (the supercolony’s extreme size).
So B best makes and supports the required generalization about how genetic diversity affects Argentine ant behavior in new environments.