Text Structure and Purpose

SAT Reading and Writing· difficulty 4/5

Studies of plant communication report that trees connected by underground fungal networks share resources and warning signals. Some popular accounts have leaped from this finding to claims about a forest "wisdom" or coordinated intelligence. Botanists working on the original data caution that the observed transfers are best explained by ordinary chemical diffusion rather than any directed cooperation.

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

  • A

    It endorses the popular accounts of forest wisdom.

  • B

    It restates the second sentence using different terms.

  • C

    It restricts the inferences that can be drawn from the underlying findings.

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  • D

    It introduces a new study about animal communication.

Explanation

Botanists pull the popular leap back to a less freighted explanation. B captures this restrictive function.

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