Reading Comprehension

PT110 · S4 · P1 · Q2 Okapis

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The okapi, a forest mammal of central Africa, has presented zoologists with a number of difficult questions since they first learned of its existence in 1900.

Topic

Okapis—mysterious forest mammals of central Africa: their classification, habits, and lingering questions about their behavior and distribution.

Framework

Answer / Explain

Main Point

The okapi has puzzled zoologists with questions about its classification, population, and behavior, but research has clarified some mysteries (such as its place in the giraffe family and its elusive habits), while other questions—like its preference for forest interiors and limited regional distribution—remain partially unanswered. The Most Valuable Sentence: The first sentence introduces the theme of zoologists being puzzled by the okapi, and the final sentences of paragraphs 3 and 4 pinpoint ongoing questions and current theories.

P1: Classification Mystery

Zoologists were initially confused about whether the okapi was related to horses or giraffes because it shares features with both. After further study, they placed it with the giraffe family based on unique traits like skin-covered horns and a long, flexible tongue.

P2: Estimating Population

People thought okapis were rare because they were seldom seen, but radio-collar tracking proved they're not super rare—just highly concentrated in a small forested area surrounded by savanna.

P3: Why Okapis Are Hard to Find

Okapis camouflage well and are loners (not group animals), staying deep in forests and away from clearings. Their diet includes a variety of leaves from many plants, and they don't overgraze any one type, so they spread out individually rather than gather.

2.

The function of the third paragraph is to

  1. pose a question about okapi

    Opposite Wrong Paragraph

    If anything, the 3rd paragraph is answering a question about okapi: Why do they seem so scarce? Since the 1st, 2nd, and 4th paragraphs all involve posing questions about okapi, this answer seems to be of the classic variety where they tell us the function of a different paragraph.

    1% picked this

  2. rebut a theory about okapi

    Opposite

    The only theory brought up in the passage occurs in the 2nd paragraph and says that, "others theorized that the okapi's habits simply kept them out of sight". Information in the 3rd paragraph would support this. We learn that part of the okapi's habits is to stick to eating leaves on the interior of the forest, which explains why there aren't many okapi sightings.

    1% picked this

  3. counter the assertion that okapis

    Wrong Paragraph

    The final sentence of the 2nd paragraph is countering the beliefs of some zoologists, saying that, "Now that we have been tracking okapis, we can say that they are not as rare as some believed, but their population is still concentrated in an extremely limited area." In the 3rd paragraph, the author is explaining why we developed the somewhat-false impression that okapis are rare.

    1% picked this

  4. Correct

    explain why okapis appeared to

    Why this is right

    This maps incredibly well to the opening two sentence of the 3rd paragraph: One reason for [the okapi's] seeming scarcity is X. Another [reason] is Y. This answer doesn't reference all the stuff we learned about the okapi's diet, but that stuff was in service of explaining why okapi don't travel in groups and why we don't see them at open riverbanks or on the exterior of a forest. And those factors were part of explaining why okapi seem scarce.

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

    96% picked this

  5. support the belief that okapis

    Out of Scope: support they're rare

    The final sentence of the 2nd paragraph is countering the beliefs of some zoologists, saying that, "Now that we have been tracking okapis, we can say that they are not as rare as some believed, but their population is still concentrated in an extremely limited area." So does the author think they're rare or not? The author isn't using absolute language like that. She's saying that the data we've now seen tells us that okapi aren't as rare as many people thought, but they're still fairly rare (or at least if they're numerous they're all crammed into the same small area). The author does more to push back against the idea of rarity, though, than to support it. And since the 3rd paragraph is talking about why the okapi seemed scarce, that implies that "although they seemed scarce/rare, they really aren't".

    1% picked this

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