Question 100·Easy·Central Ideas and Details
The following text is adapted from a recent magazine article about urban beekeeping.
For decades, rooftop beekeeping was dismissed as a quaint hobby with little ecological benefit. Yet recent studies suggest the practice can bolster pollinator populations in cities where green spaces are scarce. Urban rooftops provide unexpected refuge: they are relatively free of pesticides, sit above many contaminants found at street level, and often host a surprising diversity of flowering plants in gardens and parks. Beehives placed on these heights not only survive but frequently outperform their rural counterparts in honey production.
According to the text, what main point does the author make about rooftop beekeeping?
For main-point questions, first quickly identify the task (overall message, not a detail), then reread the first and last sentences and any contrast words like "yet," "however," or "but" to find the author’s core claim. Put that claim into your own simple sentence, then compare it to each choice: eliminate options that mention ideas not in the passage, twist details into causes or effects the text never states, or contradict what the author says. The correct answer will match your summary of the passage’s main idea without adding or changing information.
Hints
Locate the main claim
Reread the first two sentences. How does the author contrast the old view of rooftop beekeeping with what "recent studies" now show?
Focus on overall message, not a small detail
Ask yourself: after reading the whole paragraph, what does the author want you to believe about rooftop beekeeping in cities? Think about whether the author’s attitude is mainly positive, negative, or neutral.
Test each option against the passage
For each answer choice, check: does the passage clearly say this, or would I be guessing or stretching the meaning? Be careful not to confuse a condition that already exists with something the practice causes.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the question is asking
The question asks for the main point the author makes about rooftop beekeeping. That means you need the overall message of the whole passage, not a small detail.
So your task is: summarize in one sentence what the author wants you to understand about rooftop beekeeping after you read the paragraph.
Find the author’s key claim in the passage
Look at how the author sets up and then overturns an old idea:
- First sentence: rooftop beekeeping was "dismissed as a quaint hobby" with little benefit.
- Then the word "Yet" signals a contrast: "Yet recent studies suggest the practice can bolster pollinator populations in cities where green spaces are scarce."
This contrast shows the author’s main claim: despite past doubts, rooftop beekeeping actually does something important and positive in cities.
Notice the reasons the author gives
The author supports the claim with several details:
- Rooftops are "relatively free of pesticides" and above many street-level contaminants.
- Rooftops "often host a surprising diversity of flowering plants" nearby.
- "Beehives placed on these heights not only survive but frequently outperform their rural counterparts in honey production."
All these points show that bees can do well on rooftops in cities, not that rooftop beekeeping is useless or harmful.
Match your summary to the answer choices
Now turn your summary into the kind of statement you might see in the choices: the author is saying rooftop beekeeping actually works well for bees in cities and helps maintain strong bee populations there.
Among the options, the one that best captures this overall message is:
C) It can effectively support healthy bee colonies in cities.