Question

text 1
for decades, ornithologists assumed that if they saw a singing cassin’s finch—a bird species found in temperate north america—they must be observing a male trying to attract a mate or claim territory. as peter j.b. slater and nigel i. mann have emphasized, however, a similar assumption can’t be made about birds in the tropics, where females sing as often as males do. slater and mann call for more research on this discrepancy between tropical and temperate female birdsong.

text 2
recent evidence shows that a female cassin’s finch is as capable of song as a male is. in fact, female birdsong is more common among temperate species than currently assumed, claim evangeline rose and colleagues. these female songbirds sing less frequently than males do, and in duller tones, making it “easy for researchers to miss the quiet and hidden females and focus on the loud and colorful males,” says rose.

which choice best describes a difference in what the author of text 1 and the author of text 2 believe about female birdsong?
a. the author of text 2 thinks that among tropical species, females sing less frequently than males do, whereas the author of text 1 thinks that females sing as frequently as males do.
b. the author of text 2 would likely disagree with the author of text 1 about whether it can be assumed that females of temperate species don’t sing.
c. the author of text 2 believes that female birdsong is much more common among tropical species than the author of text 1 believes.
d. the author of text 2 would likely reject the claim by the author of text 1 that among tropical birds, females sing as frequently as males do.

Explanation:

• Analyze Option A: Text 1 says tropical females sing as often as males; Text 2 focuses on temperate species, so A is wrong.
• Analyze Option B: Text 1 assumes temperate female Cassin’s finch don’t sing (or sing less, as a male - centered view), Text 2 says female temperate song is more common than assumed (implying Text 1’s assumption is wrong). So B fits.
• Analyze Option C: Text 2 is about temperate, not tropical, species, so C is wrong.
• Analyze Option D: Text 2 doesn’t address tropical birds’ singing frequency, so D is wrong.

Answer:

B. The author of Text 2 would likely disagree with the author of Text 1 about whether it can be assumed that females of temperate species don't sing.