SAT OwlQuestion bank / Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• In a 2014 study, Heidi Appel and Rex Cocroft investigated whether plants can detect the vibrations of insects feeding on them.
• They recorded the vibrations made by caterpillars chewing on leaves.
• They played these recordings to some Arabidopsis plants, while other plants received only silence.
• When later attacked by caterpillars, plants that had been exposed to the chewing vibrations produced more defensive chemicals.
The student wants to describe the method Appel and Cocroft used in their study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
When attacked by caterpillars, plants that had been exposed to chewing vibrations produced more defensive chemicals.
Appel and Cocroft played recordings of caterpillar chewing vibrations to some Arabidopsis plants while leaving other plants in silence.
Appel and Cocroft wanted to know whether plants can detect the vibrations of insects feeding on them.
Plants may be able to sense when insects are feeding on them.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
A method is what the researchers did to test their question. Choice B describes the procedure: some plants heard recordings of chewing vibrations and others heard silence. Choice A gives the result, choice C gives the research question, and choice D gives a general conclusion.
Choice A is the study's most interesting finding, but it is a result, not a method.
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