SAT OwlQuestion bank / Central Ideas and Details
Beavers build dams across streams using branches, mud, and stones. The ponds that form behind these dams do more than shelter the beavers. They slow the flow of water, which lets sediment settle and helps refill underground water supplies. They also create habitat for fish, frogs, and birds that might not otherwise live in the area. For these reasons, some land managers now bring beavers back to help restore damaged streams.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Beavers build their dams mainly from stones.
Beaver ponds harm the fish that live in streams.
The ponds created by beaver dams benefit the surrounding environment in several ways.
Land managers have stopped bringing beavers back to streams.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
Most of the text lists what beaver ponds do: slow water, let sediment settle, refill groundwater, and create habitat. The last sentence adds that land managers use beavers to restore streams for these reasons. The main idea is that beaver ponds benefit the environment, choice C.
Choice A takes one detail out of context: stones are one of three dam materials, and the text focuses on what the ponds do.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. This choice focuses on a minor detail about dam materials rather than the text's main point about the environmental benefits of the ponds.
- B. The text states that the ponds create habitat for fish, which contradicts the claim that they harm them.
- D. The passage explicitly says land managers now bring beavers back to restore streams, so this choice directly contradicts the text.
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