Question 105·Hard·Command of Evidence
Average Number of Offspring per Female for Four Cricket Species under Two Temperature and Two Diet Conditions
| Cricket species | High-protein diet, 23 °C | High-protein diet, 30 °C | Low-protein diet, 23 °C | Low-protein diet, 30 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gryllus | 48 | 60 | 25 | 20 |
| Acheta | 52 | 40 | 28 | 15 |
| Teleogryllus | 30 | 42 | 18 | 22 |
| Anurogryllus | 65 | 80 | 40 | 38 |
Researchers investigating how temperature and diet quality affect reproduction in crickets concluded that the impact of elevated temperature on offspring production depends on both diet quality and species identity.
Which choice best describes data from the table that support the researchers’ conclusion?
For SAT Reading and Writing questions that ask which data best support a stated conclusion, first restate the conclusion in your own words and underline what needs to be shown (for example, a comparison across conditions, a trend, or an interaction of variables). Then, before looking closely at the answer choices, scan the table or graph to identify the relevant pattern (such as how values change when one variable increases under different conditions). Finally, pick the option that most directly and broadly summarizes that exact pattern; be wary of choices that describe only one case, ignore a key variable mentioned in the conclusion, or state a true fact that doesn’t actually answer the question being asked.
Hints
Focus on what the conclusion requires
The conclusion says the impact of temperature depends on both diet quality and species identity. Ask yourself: which answer choice uses information from both diets and multiple species, not just one?
Compare 23 °C vs 30 °C for the high-protein diet
Look only at the high-protein columns. For each species, note whether the number of offspring goes up or down when temperature increases from 23 °C to 30 °C.
Do the same comparison for the low-protein diet
Now look only at the low-protein columns. Again, for each species, see whether offspring numbers go up or down from 23 °C to 30 °C, and compare this to the pattern you saw for the high-protein diet.
Match a summary statement to your observations
Once you see the up/down pattern for each species under each diet, choose the option that summarizes both diets and several species at once, not one that just describes a single species or ignores temperature changes.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the researchers’ conclusion is saying
The conclusion states that the impact of elevated temperature on offspring production depends on both diet quality and species identity.
This means you must look for evidence that:
- Compares 23 °C vs 30 °C (change in temperature), and
- Shows that this impact is different for high vs low protein diets, and
- Varies across different species (not just one species).
Check the effect of higher temperature on the high-protein diet
Look at the high-protein columns (23 °C vs 30 °C) for each species:
- Gryllus: 48 → 60 (offspring increase)
- Acheta: 52 → 40 (offspring decrease)
- Teleogryllus: 30 → 42 (increase)
- Anurogryllus: 65 → 80 (increase)
So, on a high-protein diet, raising the temperature from 23 °C to 30 °C increases offspring for three species and decreases offspring for one species.
Check the effect of higher temperature on the low-protein diet
Now look at the low-protein columns (23 °C vs 30 °C):
- Gryllus: 25 → 20 (offspring decrease)
- Acheta: 28 → 15 (decrease)
- Teleogryllus: 18 → 22 (increase)
- Anurogryllus: 40 → 38 (slight decrease)
So, on a low-protein diet, raising the temperature from 23 °C to 30 °C decreases offspring for three species and increases offspring for one species.
Comparing Steps 2 and 3 shows that the effect of higher temperature reverses pattern depending on diet and also differs by species.
Match the patterns to the answer choices
Now compare each answer choice to the patterns you found:
- Choice A says that increasing temperature raises offspring for three of four species on high protein but lowers offspring for three of four species on low protein. This exactly summarizes what you saw in Steps 2 and 3 and directly supports the idea that the temperature effect depends on both diet and species.
- Choice B talks only about Acheta on a low-protein diet, so it uses just one species and one diet and doesn’t show the broader pattern.
- Choice C compares high- vs low-protein diets overall but doesn’t focus on how changing temperature affects offspring, so it does not support the conclusion about elevated temperature.
- Choice D focuses only on Teleogryllus on a high-protein diet, again just one species and one diet, so it does not show that the effect depends on both diet and species.
Therefore, the best choice that supports the researchers’ conclusion is: “Elevating temperature increased offspring production for three of the four species on a high-protein diet but decreased offspring production for three of the four species on a low-protein diet.”