SAT OwlQuestion bank / Command of Evidence
Gulls in many coastal towns feed on clams, which they carry into the air and drop to crack open the shells. Ecologist Rosa Klein hypothesizes that gulls in the town of Port Avery drop clams onto paved parking lots more often than onto sand because shells break more easily on hard surfaces.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support Klein's hypothesis?
Gulls in Port Avery ate clams far more often in winter, when other kinds of food were scarce, than in summer.
Clams were more plentiful near the parking lots than on the beach.
Gulls in Port Avery also dropped mussels and snails, not just clams.
Clams dropped onto pavement broke on the first drop far more often than clams dropped onto sand.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
Klein's explanation is that shells break more easily on hard surfaces. Choice D directly confirms that: clams dropped on pavement broke on the first try far more often than clams dropped on sand.
Choice B could explain where gulls drop clams, but it points to a different reason (where clams are found) rather than how easily shells break.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. When gulls eat clams says nothing about which surface breaks shells more easily.
- B. This offers a different reason gulls might use parking lots, so it doesn't support the idea about hard surfaces.
- C. Dropping other shellfish doesn't show whether pavement breaks shells more easily than sand.
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