Question 101·Medium·Central Ideas and Details
I once believed the honeybee's hum was merely background music to summer afternoons. Only after months working alongside an apiarist did I realize it was a code: each vibration a telegram about distance, danger, and delight. Their choreography on the comb—minute pirouettes and figure-eights—mapped fields I could not even see. By the time I learned to read these signals, the season had turned; the clover had withered, and the bees prepared their winter economy. I wondered how many messages had slipped past my untrained ears, and how much richer the fields might have looked had I listened sooner.
Which choice best states the central idea of the passage?
For central idea questions, quickly summarize the passage in your own words in one short sentence before looking at the choices. Then eliminate any choices that (1) introduce ideas not in the passage, (2) focus on a minor detail instead of the whole passage, or (3) clearly conflict with the tone (for example, saying the narrator is relieved when the ending sounds regretful). Finally, pick the choice that best matches both the narrator’s main realization and their overall attitude at the end.
Hints
Focus on the narrator’s change in understanding
Look at how the narrator’s view of the bees’ hum at the start differs from his view later in the passage. What does he realize that he didn’t know before?
Pay attention to descriptive words about the bees
Reread the sentences with words like “code,” “telegram,” and “choreography.” What do these words suggest about the nature of the bees’ sounds and movements?
Check the narrator’s feelings at the end
In the last sentence, does the narrator sound bored, proud, relieved, or regretful? How does that feeling help you decide which choice fits the whole passage?
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate what happens in the passage
First, put the passage into your own words:
- At the beginning, the narrator says he once thought the honeybee’s hum was just “background music” to summer, meaning he didn’t think it mattered.
- After months working with an apiarist, he realizes the hum is “a code” and that the bees’ movements are like “telegrams” and maps about “distance, danger, and delight.”
- By the end, the season has changed, and he wonders how many messages he missed and how much “richer” things would have seemed if he had paid attention earlier.
So there is a clear shift: from ignoring the bees’ sounds to recognizing their meaning and thinking about what he missed.
Identify the central idea of that story
Now ask: What big idea connects all the details?
- The middle of the passage emphasizes that each vibration and movement carries information (about distance, danger, delight; mapping fields).
- The final sentence shows his feeling: he wonders how many “messages” slipped past and imagines the fields being “richer” if he had listened sooner. This suggests regret about not understanding sooner.
So the central idea combines (1) a realization about what the bees’ hum and movements really mean and (2) a sense of regret that he overlooked this meaning before.
Match that central idea to the answer choices
Compare each answer choice to the central idea you identified:
- Choice A talks about the work being “dull” and bees migrating, which is not in the passage.
- Choice C says the narrator argues bee communication is superior to human language, which he never claims.
- Choice D says he is relieved that winter will end the buzzing, but the ending actually shows regret about missed messages, not relief.
- Choice B is the only one that matches both key parts: it says he learns that bee sounds and movements carry complex information and that he now regrets overlooking them earlier.
Therefore, the best answer is B) The narrator learns that seemingly simple bee sounds and movements carry complex information that he now regrets overlooking earlier.