Text Structure and Purpose

SAT Reading and Writing· difficulty 3/5

Convergent evolution describes the independent development of similar traits in unrelated species. Consider the wings of birds and bats: although the two groups share no recent common ancestor capable of flight, both evolved structurally distinct yet functionally similar wings to exploit the aerial niche.

Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the text?

  • A

    It provides a concrete example illustrating the concept defined in the first sentence.

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  • B

    It defines the term 'common ancestor'.

  • C

    It introduces an unrelated topic in evolutionary biology.

  • D

    It refutes the idea introduced in the first sentence.

Explanation

The bird-and-bat case illustrates convergent evolution as defined. B captures the example function precisely.

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