Question 44·Medium·Inferences
In experiments on honeybee foraging, entomologists observed that bees typically navigate using polarized patterns of sunlight, which are strongest under clear skies and weakest under heavy cloud cover. The researchers also found that when polarized-light information is diminished, bees compensate by relying more on floral scent to locate blossoms. Consequently, on heavily overcast days, bees are likely to ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For SAT inference and completion questions like this, first underline key cause-and-effect words such as “when,” “so,” or “consequently.” Then, restate in your own words what the passage says happens in the specific situation mentioned in the question (here, heavily overcast days). Finally, choose the option that directly matches that stated outcome without adding new information or reversing the direction of the cause-and-effect relationship.
Hints
Locate the cause-and-effect signal
Find the word “Consequently” in the passage. This tells you that the blank should state the result of the situation described just before it.
Focus on weather and polarized light
What does the passage say happens to polarized patterns of sunlight under heavy cloud cover? Keep that specific condition in mind when evaluating the choices.
Use the compensation detail
When polarized-light information is reduced, how do bees compensate, according to the passage? The correct answer should directly reflect that behavior for overcast days.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the key condition in the question
The question asks what bees are likely to do on heavily overcast days. In the passage, we are told that polarized patterns of sunlight are weakest under heavy cloud cover, so heavily overcast days mean weak polarized-light information.
Find what bees do when polarized-light information is weak
Next, find the sentence that explains how bees respond when that information is reduced. The passage says that when polarized-light information is diminished, bees compensate by changing which cue they use more heavily.
Match the behavior to overcast conditions
Since heavily overcast days produce diminished polarized-light information, bees on those days will behave the same way they do whenever such information is weak: they will rely more on floral scent to locate flowers.