SAT OwlQuestion bank / Command of Evidence
In some cities, house sparrows line their nests with cigarette butts. Biologist Lucas Ferreira hypothesizes that the birds do so because nicotine in the butts repels the mites that infest nests. Another possibility is that the butts are simply a soft, plentiful material that the birds use the way they would use feathers or dry grass.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support Ferreira's hypothesis over the alternative explanation?
Nests lined with cigarette butts stayed warmer on cold nights than nests lined only with grass and feathers.
Sparrows nesting near busy streets, where cigarette butts are common, used more butts in their nests than sparrows nesting in parks did.
When researchers added live mites to some nests, sparrows in those nests brought in more butts than sparrows in other nests.
Sparrows that lined their nests with cigarette butts also used feathers and dry grass in the same nests.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
If the butts are a defense against mites, birds should collect more of them when mites are present. Choice C shows exactly that response to added mites, which the "soft, plentiful material" explanation wouldn't predict.
Choice B is tempting, but birds using more butts where butts are common fits the alternative explanation just as well.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. Warmth points to the butts' value as nesting material, which fits the alternative explanation better than the mite hypothesis.
- B. Using more butts where they are common fits the idea that birds use whatever soft material is nearby.
- D. Using other soft materials too is consistent with the alternative explanation and says nothing about mites.
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