SAT OwlQuestion bank / Central Ideas and Details
Young sunflower plants turn their heads to follow the Sun, facing east at dawn and west at sunset, then swinging back east overnight. Once the flowers open, this daily motion stops, and nearly all mature sunflowers face east. Plant biologist Ji-woo Hahn suspected that this fixed position benefits the plant. In a field experiment, she found that east-facing flower heads warmed up faster in the morning than heads turned to face west, and they received several times as many visits from bees and other pollinators.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Young sunflowers follow the Sun because they need more light than mature sunflowers do.
Hahn found that sunflowers turned to face west produce more seeds than east-facing sunflowers.
Mature sunflowers stop moving because pollinators prefer flowers that stay still.
Hahn's experiment suggests that facing east helps mature sunflowers attract pollinators by warming the flowers early in the day.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
Hahn tested whether facing east helps mature sunflowers. East-facing heads warmed faster in the morning and drew several times as many pollinators as west-facing heads. Choice D states this finding and what it suggests.
Choice C sounds like an explanation, but Hahn compared east-facing and west-facing flowers, not moving and still ones.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. The text describes young sunflowers' tracking but never explains it by comparing how much light young and mature plants need.
- B. The experiment measured warming and pollinator visits. Seed production is never mentioned.
- C. Hahn compared flowers facing east and west, not moving and still flowers, so her results say nothing about a preference for stillness.
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