Question 98·Medium·Inferences
Many orchards rely on managed honeybee hives for pollination, but researchers suspected that wild, solitary bees contribute more than is recognized. In a study of almond orchards, they draped fine-mesh nets over select rows during bloom. The mesh excluded honeybees while allowing smaller native bees to enter. Fruit set in these netted rows matched the fruit set in fully open rows, and video monitoring showed honeybee activity concentrated along orchard edges while native bees ranged throughout. The researchers contend that measurements based only on honeybee visits underestimate native bees’ role, consequently ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For SAT Reading & Writing inference-completion questions, first underline the key claim that comes right before the blank and paraphrase it in simple language. Then, predict in general terms what kind of idea should follow (cause, effect, conclusion, contrast, etc.). Use the specific evidence in the passage—especially experimental results—to check whether each choice is (1) directly supported, (2) consistent in scope (not too broad or universal), and (3) free of new, unmentioned details. Quickly cross out choices that introduce new topics, contradict the passage, or use extreme words like “entirely,” “never,” or “all,” and then select the remaining option that most clearly expresses the logical consequence of the text.
Hints
Focus on the phrase before the blank
Reread the sentence that ends with the blank, especially the part that says measurements based only on honeybee visits underestimate native bees’ role. Ask yourself: what important idea would logically follow this claim?
Use the experimental results
Pay close attention to what happened in the netted rows versus the open rows. How did fruit set compare when honeybees were excluded but native bees were allowed in?
Watch out for extreme or off-topic claims
Eliminate choices that introduce new ideas not mentioned in the passage (like wind or fruit size) or that make universal statements about all crops or whenever something happens. The correct answer should stay closely tied to this specific study.
Connect “underestimate native bees’ role” to consequences
Think about what it would mean, in practice, if native bees are doing more pollination than previously recognized. What does that imply about how these orchards function even when honeybee activity is not high?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the question is asking
The question asks: Which choice most logically completes the text? This means you must pick the option that follows naturally from the information and reasoning already given, especially the sentence right before the blank that starts with “The researchers contend that…”
Restate the researchers’ claim before the blank
The key final sentence says that researchers contend that measurements based only on honeybee visits underestimate native bees’ role. So they think:
- Native bees are contributing more pollination than people realize.
- Focusing only on honeybee visits makes native bees seem less important than they actually are.
The blank must complete that idea: “consequently ____.” In other words, What important conclusion follows from underestimating native bees’ role?
Connect the claim to the experiment’s results
Look back at the experiment details:
- Fine-mesh nets excluded honeybees but let smaller native bees in.
- Fruit set in netted rows matched fruit set in fully open rows. That means trees with only native bees did just as well (in terms of setting fruit) as trees with both honeybees and native bees.
- Honeybee activity was concentrated at edges, while native bees ranged throughout the orchard.
Together, this shows that native bees are actually providing a lot of the pollination inside the orchard, even where honeybees aren’t very active.
Use the evidence to predict the kind of ending needed
From those results, a logical takeaway is that these almond orchards are not dependent only on managed honeybee hives; native bees are doing enough pollination to keep fruit set high. So the completion should:
- Emphasize that pollination (and thus fruit set) can still be maintained when honeybee activity is lower.
- Attribute this to substantial pollination by native bees.
- Stay limited to the situation actually studied (these orchards), without making extreme or universal claims.
Check each answer choice against the passage and prediction
Now compare each option:
- Choice B says honeybees avoid orchards entirely whenever native bees are present, which contradicts the text: honeybees are present, just more active at the edges.
- Choice C claims nets increase fruit size by blocking wind—the passage never mentions fruit size or wind, and the nets were used only to exclude honeybees.
- Choice D says native bees are superior pollinators for all commercial crops, which goes far beyond the almond-orchard study and is not supported.
- Choice A fits the evidence: it says these study orchards can keep up fruit set even when honeybee activity is limited, because native bees are doing a lot of the pollination, which is exactly what the experiment’s matching fruit set in netted vs. open rows shows.
Therefore, the correct answer is: A) the orchards in the study can maintain fruit set even when managed honeybee activity is limited, because native bees perform substantial pollination.