Question 59·Medium·Command of Evidence
Greenhouse tomato growers sometimes use slightly warmer nights to encourage fruit to ripen sooner. Plant scientist Lina Perez and colleagues tested this idea by setting three groups of tomato plants to different nighttime temperatures (18°C, 20°C, and 22°C) for the first 10 days after fruit set. At several points afterward, the researchers recorded the percentage of fruits in each group that had turned red (a sign of ripeness).
Warmer nighttime temperatures were associated with accelerated ripening: for example, ____
Which choice most effectively uses data from the study to complete the example?
For command-of-evidence questions that ask you to “use data,” translate the claim into a clear requirement (here: higher ripeness percentage at the same time point). Then read the graph carefully for a specific day and both groups being compared, and choose the option that matches all details: day, temperatures, and percentages—watch for distractors that swap days or misstate one number.
Hints
Focus on what “accelerated” implies
Look for a comparison at the same day showing that one group has a higher percentage ripe than another group.
Use the earliest time point
The clearest evidence of “sooner” often appears at the earliest measurement on the graph.
Verify both numbers and groups
Check that the option matches the graph’s percentages for the correct temperatures at that day (don’t mix up values from different days).
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what evidence is needed
“Accelerated ripening” means that at the same time after fruit set, the warmer-night group should have a higher percentage of red (ripe) tomatoes than the cooler-night group.
Check an early time point on the graph
At 15 days, the graph shows about 20% red for the 22°C group and about 5% red for the 18°C group.
Match the option to the graph
Choose the option that states those values and compares the warmer group to the cooler group at that same time point: at 15 days after fruit set, about 20% of tomatoes in the 22°C group were red, compared with about 5% in the 18°C group.