Traditionally, pollination by wind has been viewed as a reproductive

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 313, Date : 06-Sep-2019
 This post is a part of New Project RC Butler 2019 .  Click here for Details

Kudos  for the right answer and explanation.

Traditionally, pollination by wind has been viewed as a reproductive process marked by random events in which the vagaries of the wind are compensated for by the generation of vast quantities of pollen, so that the ultimate production of new seeds is assured at the expense of producing much more pollen than is actually used. Because the potential hazards pollen grains are subject to as they are transported over long distances are enormous, wind-pollinated plants have, in the view above, compensated for the ensuing loss of pollen through happenstance by virtue of producing an amount of pollen that is one to three orders of magnitude greater than the amount produced by species pollinated by insects.

However, a number of features that are characteristic of wind-pollinated plants reduce pollen waste. For example, many wind-pollinated species fail to release pollen when wind speeds are low or when humid conditions prevail.  Recent studies  suggest another way in which species compensate for the inefficiency of wind pollination. These studies suggest that species frequently take advantage of the physics of pollen motion by generating specific  aerodynamic environments  within the immediate vicinity of their female reproductive organs. It is the morphology of these organs that dictates the pattern of airflow disturbances through which pollen must travel. The speed and direction of the airflow disturbances can combine with the physical properties of a species’ pollen to produce a species-specific pattern of pollen collision on the surfaces of female reproductive organs. Provided that these surfaces are strategically located, the consequences of this combination can significantly increase the pollen-capture efficiency of a female reproductive organ.

A critical question that remains to be answered is whether the morphological attributes of the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated species are evolutionary adaptations to wind pollination or are merely fortuitous. A complete resolution of the question is as yet impossible since adaptation must be evaluated for each species within its own unique functional context. However, it must be said that, while evidence of such evolutionary adaptations does exist in some species, one must be careful about attributing morphology to adaptation. For example, the spiral arrangement of scale-bract complexes on ovule-bearing pine cones, where the female reproductive organs of conifers are located, is important to the production of airflow patterns that spiral over the cone’s surfaces, thereby passing airborne pollen from one scale to the next. However, these patterns cannot be viewed as an adaptation to wind pollination because the spiral arrangement occurs in a number of non-wind-pollinated plant lineages and is regarded as a characteristic of vascular plants, of which conifers are only one kind, as a whole. Therefore, the spiral arrangement is not likely to be the result of a direct adaptation to wind pollination.   1 
 D 
 1. The author of the passage is primarily concerned with discussing

(A) the current debate on whether the morphological attributes of wind-pollinated plants are evolutionary adaptations
(B) the kinds of airflow patterns that permit wind-pollinated plants to capture pollen most efficiently
(C) the ways in which the reproductive processes of wind-pollinated plants are controlled by random events
(D) a recently proposed explanation of a way in which wind-pollinated plants reduce pollen waste
(E) a specific morphological attribute that permits one species of wind-pollinated plant to capture pollen

2 
 C 
 2. The author suggests that explanations of wind pollination that emphasize the production of vast quantities of pollen to compensate for the randomness of the pollination process are

(A) debatable and misleading
(B) ingenious and convincing
(C) accurate but incomplete
(D) intriguing but controversial
(E) plausible but unverifiable

3 
 C 
 3. According to the passage, the “ aerodynamic environments ” mentioned, when they are produced, are primarily determined by the

(A) presence of insects near the plant
(B) physical properties of the plant’s pollen
(C) shape of the plant’s female reproductive organs
(D) amount of pollen generated by the plant
(E) number of seeds produced by the plant

4 
 D 
 4. According to the passage, true statements about the release of pollen by wind-pollinated plants include which of the following?

I.  The release can be affected by certain environmental factors.
 II.  The amount of pollen released increases on a rainy day.
 III.  Pollen is sometimes not released by plants when there is little wind.

(A) II only
(B) III only
(C) I and II only
(D) I and III only
(E) I, II, and III

5 
 E 
 5. The passage suggests that the recent studies  cited  have not done which of the following?

(A) Made any distinctions between different species of wind-pollinated plants.
(B) Considered the physical properties of the pollen that is produced by wind-pollinated plants.
(C) Indicated the general range within which plant-generated airflow disturbances are apt to occur.
(D) Included investigations of the physics of pollen motion and its relationship to the efficient capture of pollen by the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants.
(E) Demonstrated that the morphological attributes of the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants are usually evolutionary adaptations to wind pollination.

6 
 A 
 6. It can be inferred from the passage that the claim that the spiral arrangement of scale-bract complexes on an ovule-bearing pine cone is an adaptation to wind pollination would be more convincing if which of the following were true?

(A) Such an arrangement occurred only in wind-pollinated plants.
(B) Such an arrangement occurred in vascular plants as a whole.
(C) Such an arrangement could be shown to be beneficial to pollen release.
(D) The number of bracts could be shown to have increased over time.
(E) The airflow patterns over the cone’s surfaces could be shown to be produced by such arrangements.

7 
 D 
 7. Which of the following, if known, is likely to have been the kind of evidence used to support the view described in the first paragraph?

(A) Wind speeds need not be very low for wind-pollinated plants to fail to release pollen.
(B) The female reproductive organs of plants often have a sticky surface that allows them to trap airborne pollen systematically.
(C) Grasses, as well as conifers, generate specific aerodynamic environments within the immediate vicinity of their reproductive organs.
(D) Rain showers often wash airborne pollen out of the air before it ever reaches an appropriate plant.
(E) The density and size of an airborne pollen grain are of equal importance in determining whether that grain will be captured by a plant.

arora1 · Accepted Answer

I found this RC really interesting. 12.5 minutes with all correct

1. The author of the passage is primarily concerned with discussing

(A) the current debate on whether the morphological attributes of wind-pollinated plants are evolutionary adaptations He is not discussing the debate. He simply points that this question must be answered 
(B) the kinds of airflow patterns that permit wind-pollinated plants to capture pollen most efficiently Clear no. Author is not discussing this 
(C) the ways in which the reproductive processes of wind-pollinated plants are controlled by random events Clear no. Author is not discussing this 
(D) a recently proposed explanation of a way in which wind-pollinated plants reduce pollen waste Looks best of the lot 
(E) a specific morphological attribute that permits one species of wind-pollinated plant to capture pollen One species?

2. The author suggests that explanations of wind pollination that emphasize the production of vast quantities of pollen to compensate for the randomness of the pollination process are

(A) debatable and misleading
(B) ingenious and convincing
(C) accurate but incomplete incomplete in the sense that it does not answer some questions-> as described in paragraph 3 
(D) intriguing but controversial
(E) plausible but unverifiable

3. According to the passage, the “ aerodynamic environments ” mentioned, when they are produced, are primarily determined by the 
 It is the morphology of these organs that dictates the pattern of airflow disturbances through which pollen must travel.   Here these organs= female reproductive organs 
(A) presence of insects near the plant
(B) physical properties of the plant’s pollen
(C) shape of the plant’s female reproductive organs Correct 
(D) amount of pollen generated by the plant
(E) number of seeds produced by the plant

4. According to the passage, true statements about the release of pollen by wind-pollinated plants include which of the following?

I.  The release can be affected by certain environmental factors. Because the potential hazards pollen grains are subject to as they are transported over long distances are enormou 
 II.  The amount of pollen released increases on a rainy day. No support in passage 
 III.  Pollen is sometimes not released by plants when there is little wind. For example, many wind-pollinated species fail to release pollen when wind speeds are low or when humid conditions prevail.

(A) II only
(B) III only
(C) I and II only
(D) I and III only Correct 
(E) I, II, and III

5. The passage suggests that the recent studies  cited  have not done which of the following? 
 This is what is explained in paragraph 3 
(A) Made any distinctions between different species of wind-pollinated plants.
(B) Considered the physical properties of the pollen that is produced by wind-pollinated plants.
(C) Indicated the general range within which plant-generated airflow disturbances are apt to occur.
(D) Included investigations of the physics of pollen motion and its relationship to the efficient capture of pollen by the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants.
(E) Demonstrated that the morphological attributes of the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants are usually evolutionary adaptations to wind pollination. A critical question that remains to be answered is whether the morphological attributes of the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated species are evolutionary adaptations to wind pollination or are merely fortuitous.

6. It can be inferred from the passage that the claim that the spiral arrangement of scale-bract complexes on an ovule-bearing pine cone is an adaptation to wind pollination would be more convincing if which of the following were true? 
 We have to somehow disprove the fact described in the passage that scale-bract is present in non-wind pollinated plants 
(A) Such an arrangement occurred only in wind-pollinated plants. However, these patterns cannot be viewed as an adaptation to wind pollination because the spiral arrangement occurs in a number of non-wind-pollinated plant lineages 
(B) Such an arrangement occurred in vascular plants as a whole.
(C) Such an arrangement could be shown to be beneficial to pollen release.
(D) The number of bracts could be shown to have increased over time.
(E) The airflow patterns over the cone’s surfaces could be shown to be produced by such arrangements.

7. Which of the following, if known, is likely to have been the kind of evidence used to support the view described in the first paragraph? 
 We need to show that pollen is lost when being transported by wind 
(A) Wind speeds need not be very low for wind-pollinated plants to fail to release pollen.
(B) The female reproductive organs of plants often have a sticky surface that allows them to trap airborne pollen systematically.
(C) Grasses, as well as conifers, generate specific aerodynamic environments within the immediate vicinity of their reproductive organs.
(D) Rain showers often wash airborne pollen out of the air before it ever reaches an appropriate plant. Because the potential hazards pollen grains are subject to as they are transported over long distances are enormous 
(E) The density and size of an airborne pollen grain are of equal importance in determining whether that grain will be captured by a plant.

auradediligodo · Answer

Hi everyone,
Solved this one in 15 minutes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

P1

In this paragraph the author talks about wind pollination and wind pollinated plants. She stresses the fact that wind pollination involves a series of drawbacks but that wind pollinated plants try to compensate for such drawbacks by producing more pollen.

Purpose:  Describe wind pollination and a compensation for all the ensuing drawbacks.

P2

In this paragraph the author explains ways in which wind pollinated plants reduce the waste of pollen: first, with bad atmospheric conditions they do not release pollen. Second they create aerodynamic path so that the pollen can easily read the reproductive organs of a plant.

Purpose:  To explain how wind pollinated plants reduce pollen waste

P3

In this paragraph the author investigates the relation between morphology and adaptations.She claims that is impossible to get a unique answer because we should evaluate all cases. Then the author proceeds by claiming that one should be careful when correlating morphology and adaptation because there are tricky cases. the the author gives us an example of such cases.

Purpose:  To investigate the correlation between morphology and adaptation

Main point

To investigate how wind pollinated plants compensate for the drawbacks of wind pollination, analyzing factors such as morphology and behavior.

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1. The author of the passage is primarily concerned with discussing

Pre-thinking

Main Point question

To investigate how wind pollinated plants compensate for the drawbacks of wind pollination, analyzing factors such as morphology and behavior.

(A) the current debate on whether the morphological attributes of wind-pollinated plants are evolutionary adaptations
 Partial scope (p3)

(B) the kinds of airflow patterns that permit wind-pollinated plants to capture pollen most efficiently
 Most efficiently makes this choice too extreme

(C) the ways in which the reproductive processes of wind-pollinated plants are controlled by random events
 out of scope

(D)   a recently proposed explanation of a way in which wind-pollinated plants reduce pollen waste
 Interesting. The recent explanation starts in paragraph 2 and refers to the studies around morphology. It is broad enough

(E) a specific morphological attribute that permits one species of wind-pollinated plant to capture pollen
 one species makes this choice incorrect as the author is never this specific

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. The author suggests that explanations of wind pollination that emphasize the production of vast quantities of pollen to compensate for the randomness of the pollination process are

Pre-thinking

Inference question

When we read the last sentence and the first sentence of paragraph one and two respectively we could be puzzled by the usage of  however  because it contrasts 2 elements:
- wind pollinated plants that produce 3 times the amount of pollen to compensate for the drawbacks of wind pollination
- other ways in which wind pollinated plants reduce pollen waste

So why is there an  however there ? Probably the author either doubts the validity of the information in P1 or thinks that it is incomplete

(A) debatable and misleading
 We cannot say that such information is misleading as we don't have elements to infer this option

(B) ingenious and convincing
 opposite probably

(C)   accurate but incomplete
 we cannot say anything about accurate (could be) but as we said above incomplete is fine. This option seems the best as the author seems to compensate for a lack of information of paragraph 1

(D) intriguing but controversial
 cannot be inferred

(E) plausible but unverifiable
 we don't have elements to infer this option

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. According to the passage, the “aerodynamic environments” mentioned, when they are produced, are primarily determined by the

Pre-thinking

Detail question

From P2: "  It is the morphology of these organs that dictates the pattern of airflow disturbances through which pollen must travel."

(A) presence of insects near the plant
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(B) physical properties of the plant’s pollen
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(C)   shape of the plant’s female reproductive organs
 in line with pre-thinking

(D) amount of pollen generated by the plant
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(E) number of seeds produced by the plant
 Not in line with pre-thinking

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. According to the passage, true statements about the release of pollen by wind-pollinated plants include which of the following?

Pre-thinking

Detail question

Let's evaluate the options

I. The release can be affected by certain environmental factors.
 Mentioned at the beginning of P2

II. The amount of pollen released increases on a rainy day.
 Opposite per the passage

III. Pollen is sometimes not released by plants when there is little wind.
 Mentioned at the beginning of P2

(A) II only
(B) III only
(C) I and II only
  (D)   I and III only
(E) I, II, and III

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. The passage suggests that the recent studies cited have not done which of the following?

Pre-thinking

Inference question

Confirmed the relation between morphology and adaptation

(A) Made any distinctions between different species of wind-pollinated plants.
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(B) Considered the physical properties of the pollen that is produced by wind-pollinated plants.
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(C) Indicated the general range within which plant-generated airflow disturbances are apt to occur.
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(D) Included investigations of the physics of pollen motion and its relationship to the efficient capture of pollen by the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants.
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(E)   Demonstrated that the morphological attributes of the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants are usually evolutionary adaptations to wind pollination.
 in line with pre-thinking

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. It can be inferred from the passage that the claim that the spiral arrangement of scale-bract complexes on an ovule-bearing pine cone is an adaptation to wind pollination would be more convincing if which of the following were true?

Pre-thinking

Inference question

Clearly if there were not other non wind pollinated trees with the same morphology

(A)   Such an arrangement occurred only in wind-pollinated plants.
 in line with pre-thinking

(B) Such an arrangement occurred in vascular plants as a whole.
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(C) Such an arrangement could be shown to be beneficial to pollen release.
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(D) The number of bracts could be shown to have increased over time.
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(E) The airflow patterns over the cone’s surfaces could be shown to be produced by such arrangements.
 Not in line with pre-thinking

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Which of the following, if known, is likely to have been the kind of evidence used to support the view described in the first paragraph?

Pre-thinking

Strengthen question

Let's evaluate the options

(A) Wind speeds need not be very low for wind-pollinated plants to fail to release pollen.
 no impact

(B) The female reproductive organs of plants often have a sticky surface that allows them to trap airborne pollen systematically.
 irrelevant

(C) Grasses, as well as conifers, generate specific aerodynamic environments within the immediate vicinity of their reproductive organs.
 irrelevant

(D)   Rain showers often wash airborne pollen out of the air before it ever reaches an appropriate plant.
 The reason why wind pollinated plants release more pollen per the first paragraph is that there are a lot of hazards related to wind pollination. Thi option strengthen such view by giving the example of one such problem related with the wind pollination

(E) The density and size of an airborne pollen grain are of equal importance in determining whether that grain will be captured by a plant.
 irrelevant

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's a great day to be alive!

thangvietnam · Answer

question 1 is hard and, so, great. we can understand the paragraphs and the whole passage easily. but we can not realize which answer choice is bbroad enough to cover the whole passage and which answer choice is partial scope.

choice d is broad enough because the discussion of morphology is included in the way the species adapt to wind pollination. we need a skill to realize which answer choice is broad enough. this requires reread the whole passage many times.

realizing that the idea of one paragraph is included in other paragraph is key to successs here. the idea of 3rd paragraph, morphology, is included in the 2nd paragraph, way to reduce pollen waste.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Bumping up for more discussion.

carcass · Answer

The wind has a lot of oddities of shifts that disperse the pollen. However, we do have a lot of it. Having a lot of it, more than enough, the seeds are created nonetheless.

The pollen runs long distances. The plants, because maybe the pollen will not reach them, compensate for this gap, producing pollen up to 3 times by itself, respecting the amount produced by the insect. I.E they produce pollen on their own and not via pollination

The process explained in the previous portion results in the plant not wasting pollen. The example followed is just to grasp the idea how they not waste

Another way suggested to bypass the inefficiency of the wind pollination is that some species create or generate specific paths near the reproductive organs of their female. These organs dictate the wind paths and its variations.

disturbance or variations of the wind + the organs and how they are configurated = the pollen is trapped more efficiently on these organs

The question is? These organs are in this manner because of the evolution of the species or is it just a random phenomenon? we are not sure

We have to take into account that not necessarily morphology (how the organ is configurated, I.E, literally its shape)  
eq  adaptation. Following an example about morphology

here another explanation WHY NOT all the time, adaptation is NOT implicated how the organs are specifically of that shape.

Therefore, the spiral arrangement is not likely to be the result of a direct adaptation to wind pollination.

carcass · Answer

21. The author of the passage is primarily concerned with discussing (A) the current debate on whether the morphological attributes of wind-pollinated plants are evolutionary adaptations NO debate if you see what I wrote in the explanation of the passage. It is immediately recognized that no debate or fight or different opinions (B) the kinds of airflow patterns that permit wind-pollinated plants to capture pollen most efficiently yes but this was just an example (C) the ways in which the reproductive processes of wind-pollinated plants are controlled by random events no. to narrow in scope. Also the mention of random patterns is barely a few words (D) a recently proposed explanation of a way in which wind-pollinated plants reduce pollen waste yes true. new studies suggest the trees do not waste pollen to compensate the long-distance running of the pollen and the fact that it could not reach them proficiently (E) a specific morphological attribute that permits one species of wind-pollinated plant to capture pollen no. the passage said about that morphological \geq evolution IF skim the passage quickly you should notice a lot of shifts about: the recent study, however, this fact doe snot explain fully why is that and need to know more. With this in mind, notice how ONLY d could catch the essence of those shifts. The others answer choice are TOO specific: organs, evolution, etc The difference between this kind of passages is that the GRE or GMAT use more complex words and sentences to say essentially the same thing, in an easier way, what a TOEFL iBT passage says about the main idea The following is an excerpt from the old TOEFL iBT guide to show you the main idea Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some answer choices do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. A. Recent discoveries of fossils have helped to show the link between land mammals and cetaceans. B. The discovery of Ambulocetus natans provided evidence for a whale that lived both on land and at sea. C. The skeleton of Basilosaurus was found in what had been the Tethys Sea, an area rich in fossil evidence. D. Pakicetus is the oldest fossil whale yet to be found. E. Fossils thought to be transitional forms between walking mammals and swimming whales were found. F. Ambulocetus’ hind legs were used for propulsion in the water. I did not even read the passage above BUT if I read carefully the following, what I reckon is: A. Recent discoveries of fossils have helped to show the link between land mammals and cetaceans. This looks good. We need the main idea. Of course IF the passage talks about the origin of the whales, what is best of a link to show us the origin B. The discovery of Ambulocetus natans provided evidence for a whale that lived both on land and at sea. Also looks pretty good. We need link to find the origin. And we find a piece maybe is the link or part of that link. the option above should tell us the big picture of the passage above. C. The skeleton of Basilosaurus was found in what had been the Tethys Sea, an area rich in fossil evidence. No. It just say where it was found. detail D. Pakicetus is the oldest fossil whale yet to be found. just a statistic E. Fossils thought to be transitional forms between walking mammals and swimming whales were found. Yes. another piece or demonstration of the link: mammals >>> cetaceans F. Ambulocetus’ hind legs were used for propulsion in the water. Just a detail what they did Source of the passage https://toeflibt.home.blog/2019/11/11/t ... was%20made.

carcass · Answer

22. The author suggests that explanations of wind pollination that emphasize the production of vast quantities of pollen to compensate for the randomness of the pollination process are

(A) debatable and misleading
(B) ingenious and convincing
(C) accurate but incomplete
(D) intriguing but controversial
(E) plausible but unverifiable

Clearly from what we read, the passage was full of details about a phenomenon but incomplete. We had recent studies but we need further investigation

C is the answer

carcass · Answer

23. According to the passage, the “aerodynamic environments” mentioned, when they are produced, are primarily determined by the

(A) presence of insects near the plant
(B) physical properties of the plant’s pollen
(C) shape of the plant’s female reproductive organs
(D) amount of pollen generated by the plant
(E) number of seeds produced by the plant

These studies suggest that species frequently take advantage of the physics of pollen motion by generating specific aerodynamic environments within the immediate vicinity of their female reproductive organs.  It is the morphology of these organs that dictates  the pattern of airflow disturbances through which pollen must travel.

Easy C in barely a few seconds. Just to read the stem

carcass · Answer

24. According to the passage, true statements about the release of pollen by wind-pollinated plants include which of the following?

I. The release can be affected by certain environmental factors.
II. The amount of pollen released increases on a rainy day.
III. Pollen is sometimes not released by plants when there is little wind.

(A) II only
(B) III only
(C) I and II only
(D) I and III only
(E) I, II, and III

Tricky one. Stop a bit and read

II is not for sure. In the entire passage I never spot "rain" word

So, A,C, and E are out in 2 seconds.

But At this point an effective strategy is to focus on the I option. If it is true the answer must b D. Otherwise is B.

Yes. environmental factors are true: Example when the wind is low

D is the answer

carcass · Answer

25. The passage suggests that the recent studies cited have not done which of the following?

(A) Made any distinctions between different species of wind-pollinated plants.
(B) Considered the physical properties of the pollen that is produced by wind-pollinated plants.
(C) Indicated the general range within which plant-generated airflow disturbances are apt to occur.
(D) Included investigations of the physics of pollen motion and its relationship to the efficient capture of pollen by the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants.
(E) Demonstrated that the morphological attributes of the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants are usually evolutionary adaptations to wind pollination.

This is super tough. When something is super tough, wait 3/5 seconds. Why this question is super tough, and yet you should tackle it in one minute or less? mmmhhhh we must have a shortcut in there

The shortcut is the stem:  The passage suggests that the recent studies cited have not done which of the following?

We must have information in the passage according to the stem. I.E the passage must provide information in the line of: "the study still need to further investigate this". We do not know this phenomenon yet though" and so forth

Scan quickly the answer choices. Usually, they have a language to confuse you. Difficult. Read carefully, nonetheless.

(A) Made any distinctions between different species of wind-pollinated plants.

No never we talked about different plants

(B) Considered the physical properties of the pollen that is produced by wind-pollinated plants.

No never. never investigated the pollen quality, or variety. We had just pollen in the passage

(C) Indicated the general range within which plant-generated airflow disturbances are apt to occur.

NOOOOO. We had disturbance but never a range . Never seen this word

(D) Included investigations of the physics of pollen motion and its relationship to the  efficient capture of pollen by the female reproductive organs  of wind-pollinated plants.

No. The key is : the organs never captured the pollen. They just imprinted to it different patterns

(E) Demonstrated that the morphological attributes of the female reproductive organs of wind-pollinated plants are usually evolutionary adaptations to wind pollination.

Correct. We do not know yet. morphology  
eq  adaptation. do you remember?

carcass · Answer

26. It can be inferred from the passage that the claim that the spiral arrangement of scale-bract complexes on an ovule-bearing pine cone is an adaptation to wind pollination would be more convincing if which of the following were true?

(A) Such an arrangement occurred only in wind-pollinated plants.
(B) Such an arrangement occurred in vascular plants as a whole.
(C) Such an arrangement could be shown to be beneficial to pollen release.
(D) The number of bracts could be shown to have increased over time.
(E) The airflow patterns over the cone’s surfaces could be shown to be produced by such arrangements.

The stem is tricky but essentially tells us: the pine cone has a certain morphology BUT is it different thanks to the adaptation? I.E the question is: would we have, about the pine cone, a more substantial adaptation rather than a morphology? or a combination of both ?

A complete resolution of the question is as yet impossible since  adaptation must be evaluated  for each species  within its own unique functional context .

The sentence says that we would have a definitive resolution of the dilemma IF each plant species has its own pine cone-shaped. Then in that case, we would have a definitive case of evolution.

A is the only option to say that. Because IF (A) Such an arrangement occurred  only  in wind-pollinated plants. then we had the definitive answer that evolution took place going from a previous stage of morphology

Once again, in this case, it is to UNDERSTAND what the question is asking for.

carcass · Answer

27. Which of the following, if known, is likely to have been the kind of evidence used to support the view described in the first paragraph?

(A) Wind speeds need not be very low for wind-pollinated plants to fail to release pollen.
(B) The female reproductive organs of plants often have a sticky surface that allows them to trap airborne pollen systematically.
(C) Grasses, as well as conifers, generate specific aerodynamic environments within the immediate vicinity of their reproductive organs.
(D) Rain showers often wash airborne pollen out of the air before it ever reaches an appropriate plant.
(E) The density and size of an airborne pollen grain are of equal importance in determining whether that grain will be captured by a plant.

The first thing to do is to understand the main element explained in the first paragraph: the wind.

All the answer choice that has the wind in it then is correct. Only D has this option

The wind runs long distances transporting the pollen. If it rains, then the pollen is pulled down.

D is correct

VerbalBot · Answer

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Traditionally, pollination by wind has been viewed as a reproductive

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Traditionally, pollination by wind has been viewed as a reproductive

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