Researchers studied four pesticide formulations for effectiveness against a beetle pest. They reported pest mortality (%) at two beetle life stages: larvae and adults. Formulation I, 92% (larvae), 65% (adults); II, 80%, 84%; III, 96%, 50%; IV, 78%, 82%. The team argued that for field application, peak larval performance is misleading; what matters is performance across life stages. The strongest support is ______
Which choice most logically completes the text using the data above?
- A
Formulation I's larval mortality of 92%.
- B
the average across formulations.
- C
Formulation III's larval mortality of 96%.
- Dcheck_circle
the rank reversal: Formulation III leads on larvae (96%) but trails badly on adults (50%); Formulation IV's lower larval rate (78%) becomes a leader on adults (82%).
Explanation
"Peak larval performance is misleading" requires showing rank reversal between life stages. Choice B captures this directly: III leads on larvae but lags on adults; IV is the opposite.