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Difficulty: MediumOverall Text Structure Analysis

For decades, entomologists attributed the division of labor among honeybee workers—such as transitions from nursing larvae to foraging outside the hive—solely to chronological age. However, researcher Gene Robinson and his team challenged this paradigm by demonstrating that behavioral transitions are accompanied by rapid, reversible modifications in brain gene expression. They observed that when hives lacked older foragers, young bees accelerated their development, displaying neural gene activity profiles indistinguishable from mature foragers. Robinson proposed that social cues regulate endocrine levels, which in turn alter DNA accessibility. This epigenetic mechanism suggests that social structure actively coordinates collective behavior by modifying individual genetic readouts rather than relying on a fixed internal clock.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

  1. It outlines a long-held hypothesis regarding a biological process, introduces research that contradicts this hypothesis, describes a specific experimental finding, and presents a proposed mechanism that explains the finding.Answer
  2. B
    It defines a biological term, contrasts it with a related concept, describes a series of experiments testing both concepts, and concludes by favoring one over the other.
  3. C
    It presents a theoretical model of animal behavior, compares this model to a competing theory, highlights the limitations of both theories, and suggests a compromise.
  4. D
    It describes a common observation, offers a chronological history of how scientists investigated it, lists key discoveries in the field, and defines the terms used to describe those discoveries.

Answer

The correct answer describes the text as outlining a long-held hypothesis regarding a biological process, introducing research that contradicts this hypothesis, describing a specific experimental finding, and presenting a proposed mechanism that explains the finding.
The correct answer accurately outlines the progression of the passage: the first sentence presents the traditional hypothesis that honeybee labor is determined by age; the second sentence introduces Robinson's work challenging this view; the third sentence describes their observation of honeybees in hives without older foragers; and the final sentences detail the proposed epigenetic mechanism that drives this behavioral adaptation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the first sentence of the text.
The text states that entomologists historically attributed the division of labor among honeybee workers solely to chronological age, which represents a long-held hypothesis.
To identify how the author initiates the topic and establishes the context.
2
Analyze the middle portion of the text.
The text introduces Robinson's research, which challenged the age-based paradigm by showing that behavioral transitions are accompanied by gene expression modifications, and details a specific observation of young bees in hives lacking older foragers.
To trace the introduction of counter-evidence and the experimental observation that supports it.
3
Analyze the final portion of the text.
The text explains Robinson's proposal that social cues regulate endocrine levels to alter DNA accessibility, which is the biological mechanism underlying the observation.
To determine how the author concludes the argument by explaining the process.

Key Concept

Identifying the overall structure and flow of ideas in a scientific reading passage.
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Overall Text Structure Analysis

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