Question 26·Medium·Central Ideas and Details
Conservation strategies for wild pollinators have traditionally emphasized the creation of large, isolated reserves far from cities. Ecologist Marta Alvarez, however, contends that a network of small urban green spaces—community gardens, roadside plantings, and rooftop meadows—may collectively sustain a diversity of bees and butterflies equal to or greater than that found in single large reserves. In surveys across three metropolitan regions, Alvarez documented that these scattered habitats, when planted with native flowers and connected by pedestrian corridors, hosted high pollinator abundance and gene flow between populations.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
For main-idea questions, first quickly paraphrase the passage in your own words—one short sentence capturing what the author is mainly saying or arguing. Then scan the choices and eliminate any that: (1) introduce topics the passage never mentions, (2) contradict key statements, or (3) use extreme language (“always,” “never,” “no longer necessary”) that the passage doesn’t support. Finally, pick the remaining choice that best matches your paraphrase, focusing on the overall comparison or claim rather than small details.
Hints
Focus on contrasts
Look at how the first sentence sets up a traditional approach and how Alvarez’s view is different. What is the main contrast the passage describes?
Paraphrase before looking at choices
In one short sentence, say what Alvarez claims about small urban green spaces versus large reserves. Then check which option matches that sentence most closely.
Watch for extremes and new topics
Be careful of answer choices that use absolute phrases like “no longer necessary” or that bring in ideas not mentioned in the passage, such as specific causes of pollinator decline.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task: main idea
The question asks for the main idea of the entire passage, not a detail. That means you should focus on what the author is doing overall, especially in the first few and last phrases, rather than on individual examples like “community gardens” or “rooftop meadows.”
Paraphrase the passage in your own words
Summarize the text:
- Traditionally, people protect wild pollinators by making large, isolated reserves far from cities.
- Alvarez offers a different idea: many small urban green spaces, if planted with native flowers and connected, may together support as much or more diversity of bees and butterflies as one big reserve.
- Her surveys found high pollinator numbers and movement (gene flow) between these urban habitats when they were connected.
So the central message is a comparison: a network of small, well-connected urban habitats can match or exceed large, isolated reserves for pollinator conservation.
Eliminate options that clearly contradict or ignore the passage
Now check each choice against that summary:
- One choice claims she found that urban green spaces reduce pollinator diversity. That is the opposite of what the passage says (she found high abundance and gene flow).
- Another choice talks about pollinator declines due mainly to pesticides in rural agricultural areas. The passage never mentions pesticides or rural farms, so that’s off-topic.
Both of those choices can be eliminated because they contradict the passage or introduce new causes/details that aren’t discussed.
Compare the remaining ideas and choose the one that matches the passage’s focus
You are left with two general ideas:
- One says that large protected reserves are no longer necessary for any form of wildlife conservation.
- The other says that a system of small, well-connected urban green spaces can conserve pollinator diversity as effectively as large, remote reserves.
The passage only talks about pollinators, and it never says large reserves are unnecessary for every kind of wildlife. It simply suggests that for pollinators, urban networks can work as well as big reserves. Therefore, the correct answer is: “Alvarez’s findings suggest that a system of small, well-connected urban green spaces can conserve pollinator diversity as effectively as large, remote reserves.”