SAT Reading & Writing · Text Structure and Purpose
For over a century, the standard account of a particular insect's mating call held that its pitch was fixed by body size alone, with…
For over a century, the standard account of a particular insect's mating call held that its pitch was fixed by body size alone, with larger individuals producing lower-pitched calls. Recent field recordings, however, show substantial pitch variation among similarly sized individuals, and closer study has linked this variation to ambient temperature at the time of the call. The finding does not overturn the role of body size, but it adds a second variable that the original account never considered.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
Answer and explanation
Answer: D: To describe a factor that complicates, without replacing, an existing explanation
The passage explicitly says the new finding "does not overturn" the old account but "adds a second variable," language that describes addition and complication, not replacement. D matches that structure exactly. A overstates the finding into a full rejection of body size's role, which the text denies. C invents a critique of methodology that the passage never makes. B claims temperature is the only cause, but the passage frames it as an additional factor alongside body size, not a replacement for it.
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