Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumCross-Text Connections: Relational Synthesis

Text 1
Marine biologist Dr. Sarah Vance argues that the periodic shell-gaping behavior of intertidal mussels during low tide is a primary thermoregulatory response. By slightly parting their shells, mussels facilitate evaporative cooling, which prevents lethal tissue temperatures when exposed to direct sunlight. Vance points to laboratory trials where mussels prevented from gaping suffered significantly higher mortality rates under heat lamps than those permitted to gape.

Text 2
Ecologist Dr. Marcus Reyes acknowledges that gaping helps dissipate heat, but he contends that thermoregulation is secondary. Reyes's field observations show that gaping occurs just as frequently on cool, overcast days as on hot, sunny ones. He argues instead that gaping is primarily a respiratory strategy to maintain oxygen consumption during aerial exposure, and that evaporative cooling is an incidental benefit rather than the evolutionary driver of the behavior.

Based on the texts, how would Reyes (Text 2) most likely characterize Vance's (Text 1) explanation of shell-gaping?

  1. A
    It accounts for gaping behavior observed on cool, overcast days but fails to explain why it occurs during hot, sunny conditions.
  2. It correctly identifies a physiological benefit of shell-gaping but mistakenly views this incidental effect as the behavior's primary evolutionary driver.Answer
  3. C
    It is entirely invalid because laboratory trials cannot replicate the natural temperature fluctuations of intertidal zones.
  4. D
    It fails to consider that shell-gaping behavior primarily serves to protect mussels from predatory species during low tide.

Answer

The correct option stating that Vance's explanation correctly identifies a physiological benefit of shell-gaping but mistakenly views this incidental effect as the behavior's primary evolutionary driver.
The author of Text 2 (Reyes) acknowledges that shell-gaping helps dissipate heat, which matches Vance's findings in Text 1. However, Reyes contends that thermoregulation is secondary to respiration and that evaporative cooling is an incidental benefit rather than the evolutionary driver. Thus, Reyes would characterize Vance's explanation as correctly identifying a benefit (evaporative cooling) but mistakenly identifying it as the primary evolutionary driver.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Text 1 to identify Vance's primary claim.
Vance claims that shell-gaping is primarily a thermoregulatory response that facilitates evaporative cooling to prevent overheating.
To understand the argument that Reyes will be responding to.
2
Analyze Text 2 to identify Reyes's stance on shell-gaping and how he views Vance's claims.
Reyes agrees that gaping dissipates heat but contends thermoregulation is secondary to respiration, calling evaporative cooling an 'incidental benefit' rather than the primary driver.
To determine the relationship and point of divergence between the two authors.
3
Synthesize the relationship to identify how Reyes would characterize Vance's explanation.
Reyes would say Vance correctly identified the cooling benefit but incorrectly labeled it as the primary evolutionary driver.
To match the synthesized relationship with the correct answer choice.

Key Concept

Cross-Text Connections: Relational Synthesis
Rate this question

Topics

Cross-Text Connections: Relational Synthesis

More questions from this topic