An inference question about a study tests what the results support when they seem to conflict with earlier research. Read the blank’s lead-in, then name each group and what it showed. Use the earlier finding to predict the expected result, and compare that prediction with the study’s result. Keep your prediction limited, because a proposed explanation isn't proof that it caused the result. Wrong choices often turn a limited finding into a claim the study can't support.
Hints
- Hint 1
Start with the mite counts in the two groups. What did Tse find in the warm roosts and in the cooler roosts?
- Hint 2
Compare the study’s result with the earlier immune finding. What result would that earlier finding alone lead you to expect?
- Hint 3
How do Tse’s two proposed explanations help make sense of the difference between the mite counts Tse found and what the earlier studies would lead you to expect?
Step-by-step
Compare the result with the expected benefit
Step 1Name the groups and results
Tse found that colonies in the cooler sites harbored significantly fewer mites. To decide what these findings suggest, let's name each group and its result: warm roosts at about 32 °C, more mites; cooler roosts around 18 °C, fewer mites.
- Step 2
Compare the result with the expectation
What would the earlier immune finding lead us to expect? The bats’ immune systems work more efficiently at higher body temperatures, which points toward better protection in warmer conditions. But the warm-roosting colonies had more mites, so immune efficiency alone doesn't explain the results. That doesn't mean their immune systems failed or stopped helping; it means we can't use the immune benefit by itself to predict which group will have fewer mites.
- Step 3
Separate possible causes from proof
Can we tell exactly why the warmer colonies had more mites? Tse offers two non-exclusive explanations, meaning both could be true: heat could help mites reproduce, and cooling behaviors could leave less time for grooming. These are possible reasons, not separate tests of each cause, so we can't say which matters more. Both could make mite infestations worse in warmer roosts despite the expected immune benefit.
- Step 4
Choose the smallest supported claim
What is the smallest conclusion that fits the contrast? Roost temperature’s overall effects can outweigh the expected immune benefit. The phrase for these bat species keeps the claim within the study, and can exert a stronger influence describes what can happen, not what must always happen. Choice C.