Reading Comprehension

PT105 · S3 · P1 · Q4 Invertebrate Schooling

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Until recently, many biologists believed that invertebrate "schools" were actually transient assemblages, brought together by wind, currents, waves, or common food sources.

Topic

Schooling behavior in invertebrates and its advantages and drawbacks

Framework

Old / New

Main Point

Recent research has shown that many invertebrates, contrary to earlier belief, do form structured schools like fish do, and schooling brings a variety of benefits and some costs. (The Most Valuable Sentence appears at the end of the first paragraph: )

P1: Shifting Beliefs About Invertebrate Schooling

Until recently, scientists thought invertebrate groupings were just temporary and caused by environmental factors, but new research shows many actually form true schools, much like fish do.

P2: How Invertebrate Schools Work

Invertebrates that school do so in an organized way, maintaining consistent positioning; their grouping is pretty stable unless disturbed by predators.

P3: Passive Benefits of Schooling

Schooling, despite being risky and making the animals more visible, actually helps members avoid predators by making them harder to track individually, increasing group vigilance, and improving individual survival odds.

4.

Which one of the following best describes the final paragraph of the passage?

  1. Arguments for opposing points of

    Out of Scope

    Out of Scope: opposing points of view There aren't any opposing points of view in paragraphs 2, 3, or 4.

    5% picked this

  2. The disadvantages of certain types

    Out of Scope: alternative choices

    Some disadvantages of "choosing" to school together are discussed, but there are no alternate choices proposed. The author doesn't end by saying, "I propose that invertebrates start using the buddy system instead of schooling".

    5% picked this

  3. Two different interpretations of a

    Out of Scope: two different interpretations

    There aren't different points of view in the final paragraph. It's all the author's view, and she's just presenting some pluses and minuses when it comes to how schooling relates to food and reproduction.

    2% picked this

  4. The disadvantages of an action

    Too Strong: impugning the validity

    The author does enumerate some disadvantages of schooling, but does the author ever call into question the validity of schooling? No. She seems to appreciate that it has valid benefits. She merely explains that there's an optimal size constraint on realizing this action's benefits. We could say that she "qualifies the scope under which this action has advantages", but we couldn't say the calls into question the overall validity of schooling.

    3% picked this

  5. Correct

    Advantages and disadvantages of a

    Why this is right

    Some advantages (locate food / finding mates) and disadvantages (intense competition for the food that's found / smaller clutches of eggs) are discussed. And some actions (join another school) are mentioned for avoiding the adverse consequences of a school that's gotten too big.

    Skill tested: Paragraph Purpose · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

    85% picked this

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