Question

as marine researcher william watkins listened to the sounds of the sea, he noticed something strange: a whale call at 52 hertz. it was a very unusual pitch, or frequency, much higher than that of any known baleen whales. blue whales, humpbacks, and other baleen whales tune deep, low - frequency songs, ranging between 10 and 40 hertz. toothed whales, like orcas, often sing at higher pitches. but everything else about the sound was undeniably baleen. this whale seemed to have somehow strayed from the others.
frequencies between 10 and 40 hertz are particularly good for sending sound waves through water. low - frequency sounds lose less energy as they travel and can cross entire oceans. thats how blue whales chat across hundreds of kilometers. sounds at a higher frequency, like 52 hertz, cant travel as far - and may not even be audible to other whales. still, the strange, higher - pitched calls kept coming, year after year. watkins and his team tracked this whales call across the northern pacific ocean for more than a decade. though the whale seemed to follow seasonal migration patterns similar to other large whales, no other animal ever responded to its song. it appeared to be completely alone.
scientists have a few different ideas about this hypothetical whale. it could have a physical difference. perhaps this whale is a hybrid species. or, it could even be an undiscovered species, though that possibility is unlikely. why this whale - if it is a whale - sings at 52 hertz remains unknown.
watkins passed away in 2004, having never seen the whale whose voice he came to know so well. as of 2025, that same song continues to echo through the deep. the 52 - hertz whale is still known only by its voice. it remains one of the many mysteries of the deep ocean.
question 6 of 6
6 select the best summary of the text from the choices below
a a whale sings a sad song because it is lost, and scientists worry that it will continue to wander
b the text proves that a new, undiscovered species of whale exists in the pacific ocean
c scientists heard a whale call with an unusual pitch, but they havent discovered its source yet
d william watkins spent his entire life trying to find a mysterious whale, but he was unsuccessful

Explanation:

• Option A: The text does not mention the whale being "lost" or scientists worrying about it wandering.
• Option B: The text says the possibility of it being an undiscovered species is "unlikely", so this option is incorrect.
• Option C: The text describes scientists hearing a whale call with an unusual pitch (52 hertz) and that as of 2025, the source (the whale) was still only known by its voice (they hadn't discovered it yet). This matches the summary.
• Option D: The text says Watkins tracked the call for more than a decade, not his "entire life".

Answer:

C. Scientists heard a whale call with an unusual pitch, but they haven't discovered its source yet.