Question 77·Medium·Central Ideas and Details
Each autumn, millions of monarch butterflies begin a trek from the northern United States and Canada to the mountain forests of central Mexico. Because a single monarch lives only a few weeks, no individual completes the entire journey of thousands of miles. Scientists now think the feat is possible because temperature-sensitive "chemical clocks" are inherited by each successive generation. As daylight shortens, young monarchs produce lower levels of a hormone that would normally trigger reproduction. Instead of mating, these butterflies conserve energy for flight, nudging the population ever farther south toward wintering grounds with a cool, stable climate. In this way, the migration is less the work of a lone traveler and more the result of biological timers resetting with every new brood.
Which question does the text most directly attempt to answer?
For questions that ask which question a passage "most directly attempts to answer," first restate the passage’s main point in your own words in one sentence. Then eliminate any choices that (1) contradict the passage, (2) ask about topics or details not mentioned (like dates, other species, or extra background), or (3) focus on minor details instead of the main explanation. The remaining choice should match the overall problem the passage poses and then solves.
Hints
Focus on purpose, not small details
Ask yourself: What big situation or problem about monarch butterflies is the author trying to explain, from the first sentence to the last?
Use the contrast in the second sentence
Look closely at the sentence that says no individual monarch completes the entire journey. What issue does that create, and what does the rest of the passage try to explain about it?
Match the answer to the explanation, not to single words
Ignore any choices that ask about topics the passage doesn’t mention at all, like specific dates or other butterfly species. Pick the choice that fits the explanation the scientists are giving.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the question is asking
The question says: "Which question does the text most directly attempt to answer?" That means you are not being asked about a detail. Instead, you must identify the main puzzle or problem that the passage is explaining.
Summarize the main idea of the passage
Put the passage into your own words:
- Monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles from the northern US/Canada to Mexico.
- Each butterfly lives only a few weeks, so no single butterfly finishes the whole trip.
- Scientists think this huge journey is possible because of inherited, temperature-sensitive chemical clocks.
- These clocks change hormone levels so young butterflies don’t reproduce right away and instead save energy for flight.
- Each new generation continues the journey, guided by these biological timers.
Overall, the passage is explaining how this long migration is possible given the butterflies’ short lifespans.
Compare each answer choice to that main idea
Now test each option against your summary of the passage.
- Choice A focuses on individual butterflies surviving the entire journey, but the passage says no single monarch does that.
- Choice C asks about when chemical clocks were discovered; the passage never gives any dates or history.
- Choice D asks about other species and milkweed, which is not mentioned at all.
Only one choice asks about the overall explanation for the migration described in the passage.
Select the answer that matches the passage’s focus
The passage’s main purpose is to explain what makes the long migration possible even though individual monarchs live only a few weeks. That matches Choice B) What enables monarch butterflies to complete their annual migration despite their short lifespans?