Definition of Species

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong2% picked this

   Classifying biological populations into different species has long posed problems for proponents of biodiversity, but many of these problems are closer to resolution thanks

   This answer's main clause is "many of [the problems with classifying populations into different species] are closer to resolution thanks to Sibley". This passage was not a puff piece, congratulating Sibley for a job well done. It presented a debate and didn't take a side in terms of who was right. According to this answer, the author is on Sibley's side. But the author offers Sibley's position on the species debate in the 2nd paragraph and then immediately pushes back against it in the 3rd paragraph with "Sibley's work has not been widely accepted".

   2%
2. B

   Too Narrow4% picked this

   Although scientists often disagree on the classification of biological populations into species, most agree that all such classification

   The main clause of this answer is that "most scientists agree that all species classification systems contain arbitrary elements". There's nothing about ornithologists in here, despite the passage being largely about them. This sounds way too broad about species classification in general, and the passage is ending on a dissonant note, not a note of consensus. The final taste we get is that this debate rages on. The main clause of this answer is saying "they mostly agree".

   4%
3. C

   Correct82% picked this

   How biological populations are classified into species is a controversial scientific issue with practical implications in current debates

   Why this is right

   This answer correctly centers itself on an ongoing debate over how to define species. It does leave out the ornithological contour of the passage, but the beginning / ending bookends of the passage were not specifically about ornithological species debates. They were talking about defining species more generally. The answer correctly captures that the author did not pick a side, and it captures why the author finds this debate noteworthy. In other words, we had a Present Debate passage, the author's evaluation or takeaways from that debate are in the final paragraph, and this answer echoes that takeaway. "Political and economic stakes" = practical implications.

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

   82%
4. D

   Too Narrow7% picked this

   Traditional methods of classifying biological populations into species continue to have their supporters, but these methods have been called into question by

   This answer's main clause is "the traditional methods of species classification have been called into question by Sibley". While that's true, that wasn't the main idea in the passage. Sibley is already deceased. He's not a newcomer on the scene that the author is profiling. If the author was implicitly on Sibley's side of the debate (like if she gave Sibley the final word in the passage), then this would feel right. But she introduces Sibley's ideas in paragraph 2 only to tell us in paragraph 3 that these have not been widely accepted. Nothing in this answer matches up with the author's wrap-up paragraph.

   7%
5. E

   Too Narrow6% picked this

   Charles G. Sibley developed revolutionary methods of classifying biological populations into species, but these methods have

   This answer's main clause is "Sibley developed revolutionary methods, but they haven't been widely accepted". Was the central topic of this passage Sibley's methods? No, it was a debate over "how do we determine how to classify species". Sibley was just a bit player within that debate. The passage begins and ends with the broader topic of "how are we going to figure out which endangered species to preserve if we can't agree on how to define a species". That's the central topic, not Sibley's revolutionary methods.

   6%