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Difficulty: HardEvaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

[1] Every autumn, millions of monarch butterflies in eastern North America embark on a remarkable journey to their overwintering sites in the mountain forests of central Mexico. [2] Traveling up to 3,000 miles, these delicate insects rely on thermal air currents and a sophisticated internal compass to navigate. [3] The destination of this migration was a mystery to scientists until 1975, when researchers finally located the specific oyamel fir forests where the monarchs cluster. [4] These forests provide a unique microclimate that protects the butterflies from freezing temperatures and wet weather. [5] Oyamel firs, also known as sacred firs, are native to the high-altitude mountains of central and southern Mexico.

The writer is considering deleting Sentence 5 from the passage. Which of the following decisions and justifications is most appropriate regarding this potential deletion?

  1. A
    Keep it, because it provides essential geographical context explaining why the butterflies choose this specific region of Mexico.
  2. B
    Keep it, because it defines a key term used in the previous sentence, clarifying the exact type of tree the monarchs depend on.
  3. Delete it, because it interrupts the explanation of how the oyamel fir forest microclimate protects the butterflies with unrelated botanical details.Answer
  4. D
    Delete it, because it contradicts the earlier statement that the destination of the butterfly migration was a mystery to scientists.

Answer

Delete the sentence because it interrupts the explanation of how the oyamel fir forest microclimate protects the butterflies with unrelated botanical details.
The paragraph focuses on the monarch butterfly migration and the protective microclimate of the oyamel fir forests. Sentence 5 introduces botanical details (alternative names and native range) of the oyamel fir that are irrelevant to this focus, so it should be deleted. The correct decision and justification are to delete the sentence because it interrupts the explanation of the forest microclimate with unrelated botanical details.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the main focus of the paragraph.
The paragraph describes the monarch butterfly migration to Mexico, the discovery of their overwintering site in oyamel fir forests, and how the forest microclimate protects them.
Understanding the paragraph's theme is necessary to determine the relevance of any single sentence.
2
Evaluate the content of the sentence being considered for deletion (Sentence 5).
Sentence 5 provides alternative names and the native range of oyamel firs.
Comparing the sentence's content to the paragraph's theme reveals whether the sentence adds value or introduces a distraction.
3
Determine if the sentence is relevant and choose the correct decision and reason.
The sentence is not relevant because it shifts the focus to botanical properties of the trees. Therefore, it should be deleted because it interrupts the discussion of the butterflies' protective habitat.
Only one option contains both the correct decision (delete) and the correct justification (relevance shift).

Key Concept

Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

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