For “most likely agree” Reading & Writing questions, first underline the scientist’s conclusion or main claim, not the background details. Then, when you read the answer choices, quickly cross out any that introduce new topics (like migration or prey here), focus on different subjects (like the shipping companies instead of the whales), or make predictions the passage never hints at. The correct answer will be a modest, logical extension of the stated conclusion, restating or slightly applying the same cause–effect relationship in a new but closely related situation.
Hints
- Hint 1
Focus on the scientist’s conclusion
Reread the final sentence: what specific behavior does Ruiz say is affected, and what does she say causes that change?
- Hint 2
Interpret the weekday/weekend pattern
On which days is there more ship traffic, and how do the whales’ songs change on those days compared with the others?
- Hint 3
Apply the pattern to the new situation
If shipping noise on weekdays became more like the lower noise level on weekends, what would you expect to happen to the whales’ singing behavior?
- Hint 4
Check for relevance
Eliminate any choices that talk about topics Ruiz never mentioned (like migration timing or prey species) or that mainly describe effects on shipping companies instead of whales.
Step-by-step
- Step 1
Identify Ruiz’s main conclusion
Focus on the last sentence: "Ruiz concluded that the whales adjust their vocal behavior in response to human-generated noise." This tells you exactly what her research supports: that whale songs change when human noise (from ships) changes.
- Step 2
Connect the conclusion to the hypothetical change
The question asks what Ruiz would most likely agree would happen if there were stricter limits on weekday shipping noise. Stricter limits on noise means less human-generated noise during weekdays. Think: if noise goes down, what would happen to the whales' vocal behavior according to her conclusion?
- Step 3
Use the weekday vs. weekend contrast
In the study, weekdays (noisy) led to fewer and softer songs, while weekends (quieter) led to louder, more frequent songs. That pattern suggests that quieter conditions let whales sing more fully. So if weekdays became more like weekends (quieter), Ruiz would expect whales’ singing to become more like it is on weekends.
- Step 4
Match that prediction to the answer choices
The only answer that matches the idea that reduced shipping noise would help whales return to louder, more frequent songs—and thus improve their vocal interactions—is “allow humpback whales to communicate with one another more effectively.”