Question 70·Easy·Inferences
Environmental scientist Dr. Patel examined five years of data from neighboring farms. Some of the farms voluntarily reduced pesticide use during that period, while others continued their usual spraying schedules. Records from local beekeepers showed that bee colonies situated near the farms that cut pesticide use produced 20% more honey, on average, than colonies near farms that did not.
Based on the study, it is most reasonable to infer that colonies near farms that reduced pesticide use likely ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For SAT inference and logical-completion questions, start by underlining the key comparison or result in the passage (often a statistic or clear cause-and-effect statement). Then, before looking at the choices, put that result into your own simple words. Evaluate each option by asking: “Is this directly supported by what I underlined, or does it add new information or assumptions?” Eliminate any answer that brings in topics or effects not mentioned in the text, and favor the choice that most closely restates or slightly extends the stated finding without going beyond the evidence.
Hints
Locate the main comparison
Look back at the sentence that mentions the five years of data. What two groups of bee colonies are being compared?
Focus on the measured outcome
The passage gives a specific numerical difference (20%). What were the colonies producing 20% more of, and which colonies had this advantage?
Check for new, unsupported ideas
Ask yourself: which choices talk only about what the passage directly measured, and which ones bring in topics (like health problems, movement, or flower types) that the passage never mentions?
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate what the study compared
First, identify the two groups being compared:
- Farms that reduced pesticide use during the five years
- Farms that continued their usual spraying schedules
Bee colonies were located near each type of farm, and data from beekeepers were used to compare these colonies.
Identify the key result of the study
Find the specific outcome Dr. Patel measured. The passage says that records from beekeepers showed that colonies near farms that cut pesticide use produced 20% more than colonies near farms that did not.
Ask yourself: 20% more of what, according to the text, and over what time span? This points you to the main effect of reducing pesticide use on the colonies.
Understand what “most reasonable to infer” allows
The phrase “Based on the study, it is most reasonable to infer that…” means your answer must:
- Be strongly supported by the reported data, and
- Not introduce new claims (for example, about disease, moving colonies, or flower types) that the passage never mentions.
So you should look for a choice that basically reflects the measured difference described in the study, without adding extra ideas.
Match the finding to the answer choices
Now connect the key finding to the options. The passage’s result is that the colonies near reduced-pesticide farms produced 20% more honey during the five-year study period than the other colonies. The only answer choice that restates this idea—without adding unsupported information—is A) experienced higher honey production in the five-year period.