SAT OwlDesert tortoises in the southwestern United States can store water in their bladders and draw on it during long dry spells. When a tortoise is frightened, for example when a person picks it up, it often releases this stored water. Wildlife officials therefore warn hikers that picking up a desert tortoise ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
can cost the animal water it needs to survive until the next rain.
is the best way to help a tortoise find water during a drought.
causes the tortoise to store more water than it otherwise would.
is harmless as long as the tortoise is put back where it was found.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
Tortoises rely on stored water during dry spells, and a frightened tortoise often releases that water. So handling one can rob it of water it needs, choice A. That explains why officials warn hikers.
Choice D might seem sensible, but putting the tortoise back can't restore the water it released.
Why the other choices are wrong
- B. Handling makes a tortoise release its stored water, so it works against the animal rather than helping it.
- C. The text says a frightened tortoise releases water, not that it stores more.
- D. Returning the tortoise doesn't give back the water it may have released, so the warning would make no sense if handling were harmless.
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