Central idea
9. How does the author develop the central idea of the passage?
B The author describes the communal structure of ants.
13. How does paragraph 6 function in the passage?
C By describing the relationship between ants and Aphides, the paragraph strengthens the claim that ants are sophisticated creatures.
10. In paragraph 2, what does the author mean by the term foraging ?
C hunting
14. How does the author advance the purpose of the passage?
A by using comparison to emphasize the similarities between humans and ants
16. What does industrious mean based on its use in paragraph 7?
B hardworking
11. Which quotation supports the inference that ants are intelligent insects?
D “…I several times divided a nest into two halves, and found that even after a separation of a year and nine months they recognized one another, and were perfectly friendly; while they at once attacked ants from a different nest, although of the same species.” (paragraph 5)
15. Which quotation supports the answer in Part A?
D “…and all our recent observations tend to confirm the opinion that their mental powers differ from those of men not so much in kind as in degree.” (paragraph 7
12. Read the excerpt from paragraph 2. Bates observed that on a foraging expedition, the large-headed individuals did not walk in the regular ranks, nor on the return did they carry any of the booty, but marched along at the side, and at tolerably regular intervals, “like subaltern officers in a marching regiment.” How does the author use rhetoric to support his point of view of ants?
A The author uses a simile to describe ants as orderly in the way they move.
17. How effectively does the author support the claim in paragraph 7 that ants appear to possess “the gift of reason”?
C The claim is somewhat supported by evidence that suggests ants may act with purpose and intention.