SAT #13 Reading (Questions 48 & 49)

Question

Based on the passage, which choice reflects behaviors UNLIKELY to be exhibited by an individual finch [...]?

Answer 1

48.R.13 & 49.R.13

Answer Choices A and C are the correct answers because Lines 81-84 say that, “Interestingly boldness and risk taking behaviours were found to be strongly correlated, regardless of head colour they always occurred together, forming a ‘behavioural syndrome.’” This tells us that it would be unlikely for an individual finch to show the risk-taking and bold behaviour of quickly feeding after a predator display, and not show the behaviour of approaching a novel object, or vice versa, which most closely matches Answer Choice A, which says that it would be unlikely for an individual finch to be seen, “returning quickly to feeding after a predator display and failing to approach a novel object.” For Question 48, Answer Choice B is incorrect because returning slowly to feed after a predator display and failing to approach a new object are characteristic of red-headed finches, and wouldn’t be surprising to see in an individual finch. Answer Choice C is incorrect because black-headed finches are described as failing to display aggression and also readily approaching novel objects, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see these two behaviours in an individual finch. Answer Choice D is incorrect because red-headed finches are described as displaying aggression and also being uninterested in exploring new surroundings, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see these two characteristics in a single finch. For Question 46, Answer Choice A is incorrect, because neither our answer choice for Question 45 nor any of the choices violate this finding that aggression does not correlate with risk taking behaviour. Answer Choice B is incorrect because it only comments on why natural selection could have favored red-headed birds taking less risks. Answer Choice D is incorrect because it only explains the evolutionary logic between the behaviors that the birds exhibit.

How to solve this? Question 48 asks, “Based on the passage, which choice reflects behaviors UNLIKELY to be exhibited by an individual finch [...]?” Because this is a Paired Question, we should attempt to answer this Question by going through the answer choices for Question 49 first, looking for any Texts that tell us the behaviors we would be unlikely to see in an individual finch.

Going through the choices, we may find ourselves able to eliminate a few of the options, because they only explain the logic behind some of the conclusions and not the behavior we would be unlikely to see. However, we should find it difficult to effectively choose a single answer, and adjust our strategy so that we work through Question 48 first. Going through the options for Question 48, we should notice that they just list different combinations of behavioural characteristics, like aggression and object approach or feeding after predator display and aggression. Because we’re looking for an unlikely set of behaviors, we simply have to look at what’s expected for black-headed finches and what’s expected for red-headed finches, and then choose the option that violates those correlations. Here are the characteristics we should expect for each type of finch:

Red-Headed Finches

1. more aggressive
2. slower to return after predator, less risk taking
3. less interest in novel objects

Black-Headed Finches

1. less aggressive
2. quicker to return after predator, more risk taking
3. more interest in novel objects

Now, we can go through the answer choices for Question 48 and choose the one that violates these correlations. Answer Choice A says [...]. [Eventually choose Answer Choice A.]

[And then from here, going through the answer choices for Question 49 to look for the choice that best supports this].