Question 23·Easy·Inferences
Zoologist Dr. Rivas spent several weeks observing a troop of capuchin monkeys in a Costa Rican reserve. Each evening, the monkeys collected fallen palm nuts, carried them to flat rocks, and struck the nuts open with large stones. Rivas noted that juvenile monkeys watched the adults perform this task many times before attempting it themselves.
Based on Rivas’s observations, it can most reasonably be inferred that the juvenile capuchin monkeys ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For SAT inference and sentence-completion questions like this, first underline the key sentence that mentions the group in question (here, the juveniles) and note exactly what is said about them. Then, translate that into a simple idea in your own words and compare each answer choice to the text, eliminating any choice that introduces new, unmentioned details or stronger claims (like “only,” “every,” or specific preferences) that the passage doesn’t clearly support. The correct answer will restate or slightly generalize what’s directly implied, not guess at motives or extra facts.
Hints
Locate the key sentence
Reread the final sentence about what the juvenile monkeys do before attempting the task themselves. That sentence is the main clue for the answer.
Think about what "watching before trying" suggests
Ask yourself: if an animal watches older members of its group doing a specific task many times before trying it, what does that usually tell you about how it gains that skill?
Check for unsupported details
For each answer choice, ask: Is this specific detail (about food preference, stone choice, or timing) actually mentioned or clearly implied in the passage, or is it just a guess? Eliminate any choice that adds new information not supported by the text.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what is actually described
The passage describes a routine behavior: each evening, the monkeys collect palm nuts, bring them to flat rocks, and crack them open with stones. Then it adds that juvenile monkeys watch adults do this many times before they try it themselves.
Identify what kind of question this is
The question asks what can most reasonably be inferred from Rivas’s observations. That means you must choose something that is strongly supported by what is said, not something that sounds logical but goes beyond the information given.
Connect the juveniles’ behavior to a general idea
Focus on the line about juveniles: they observe adults perform the task many times before attempting it themselves. Ask: what overall idea about how juveniles gain this skill is supported by that pattern of watching first, doing later?
Match that idea to the answer choice
The described pattern—young monkeys repeatedly watching adults perform a task and only later trying it themselves—best supports the idea that they learn the nut-cracking technique by observing older monkeys, so that is the correct completion of the text.