Lucas M. answered • 06/04/19
*REDUCED RATE DUE TO COVID-19* 99th Pct. SAT/ACT Tutor / Homework Help
Answer Choice A is the correct answer because Lines 3-5, in the first paragraph, say that the rate of guppy reproduction “makes guppies ideally suited for studying the rate of evolution,” and because the Passage continues to discuss observational experiments of guppies. Answer Choice B is incorrect because the paragraph doesn’t mention the value of studying guppy offspring “shortly after birth,” and because the later Passage doesn’t emphasize it either. Answer Choice C is incorrect because the first paragraph doesn’t introduce a theory, and especially not one “at the center of an ongoing scientific debate.” Answer Choice D is incorrect because the first paragraph doesn’t talk about a “new field of scientific inquiry.”
How to solve this? The Question asks, “The first paragraph mainly serves to [...]?” To solve this, we should have both a general understanding of the Passage and mores specific understanding of the paragraph works in its immediate context. [See above for the general outline of the Passage].
The first paragraph mentions (1) the reproductive rate of guppies, (2) why this makes them “suited for studying the rate of evolution,” and (3) Reznick’s study which makes use of this fact. Because the Passage goes on to look at an experiment performed by Reznick which relies on guppies’ rapid rate of reproduction, we can say the first paragraph serves to give us a reason why these guppies make a good topic of study, and should expect our answer choice to reference this.
Answer Choice A says that the first paragraph serves to “establish the reason why a certain species was selected for scientific observation.” Because this matches our own understanding of the paragraph, that it gives us a reason why guppies were chosen for study, we should keep this option. Answer Choice B says that the first paragraph serves to “illustrate the value of studying the offspring of a particular animal shortly after birth.” This answer choice might seem plausible, because it mentions the value of studying a particular species. However, because the paragraph doesn’t mention the specific value of studying these animals shortly after birth and because the experiments don’t show Reznick doing so, we should eliminate this option. Answer Choice C says that the first paragraph serves to “introduce a theory at the center of an ongoing scientific debate.” Because the first paragraph doesn’t introduce a theory, and especially not one at the center of an ongoing scientific debate, we should eliminate this option. Answer Choice D says that the first paragraph serves to “offer a rationale for the prevalence of a new field of scientific inquiry.” However, because the first paragraph doesn’t mention a “new field of scientific inquiry,” or its prevalence, we should eliminate this option. That leaves us with Answer Choice A, which we should choose as our correct option.
