Question 43·Easy·Inferences
Ornithologist Danika Lee conducted a survey of several city parks and found that parks with dense, untrimmed understory vegetation supported far more species of songbirds than did parks where maintenance crews routinely cleared away brush. Because the birds relied on the thick undergrowth to conceal their nests from predators, Lee concluded that allowing such vegetation to remain in parks would help increase overall urban biodiversity.
Lee's findings most strongly suggest that city park managers could promote biodiversity by ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For SAT Reading "complete the text" inference questions, first identify the key relationship in the passage—often a cause/effect, contrast, or conclusion. Predict in your own words what should fill the blank (for example, “they should preserve that kind of habitat”). Then check each option against the passage, not against outside knowledge: the correct choice will directly involve the specific factor mentioned in the text and will not add new, unsupported ideas.
Hints
Focus on what made some parks better for birds
Look back at the description of the parks that supported far more species of songbirds. What physical feature of those parks is highlighted?
Use the explanation given for the difference
The passage tells you why the parks with more vegetation had more bird species. How does that reason suggest a way to manage the parks?
Connect the conclusion to a specific action
Lee concludes that allowing a certain feature "to remain" would help biodiversity. Which answer choice describes preserving or increasing that specific feature?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the key difference between the parks
First, focus on what Lee compared:
- One group of parks had dense, untrimmed understory vegetation.
- The other group had brush routinely cleared away by maintenance crews.
Lee found that the parks with the dense, untrimmed vegetation supported far more species of songbirds than the parks where crews cleared the brush.
Understand the cause-and-effect relationship
The passage explains why the parks with more vegetation had more songbird species:
- "Because the birds relied on the thick undergrowth to conceal their nests from predators".
So the thick, low-level vegetation (understory/brush/ground vegetation) is the key feature that helps the birds and increases biodiversity.
Translate Lee’s conclusion into a management action
Lee then concludes that "allowing such vegetation to remain in parks would help increase overall urban biodiversity." That means managers who want to promote biodiversity should avoid removing this important undergrowth and instead leave more of it in place.
Match the conclusion to the answer choice
The choice that directly describes changing maintenance practices so more ground-level plants are left alone is leaving more ground vegetation untrimmed during routine park maintenance. This matches Lee’s conclusion about allowing the thick undergrowth to remain, so it is the correct answer.