Question

read the passage.
fruit or vegetable?
according to botanists, who study and classify plants, a fruit is the part of a plant that contains seeds. by this definition, not only melons and plums but zucchinis, green beans, and tomatoes are all fruits. in fact, based on this definition, any vegetable with seeds could be classified as a fruit. in contrast, nutritionists, who study diet, reserve the term \fruit\ only for sweet, fleshy fruits, using \vegetable\ for those that are low in fructose, or fruit sugar. vegetables are usually eaten as part of a meal, while fruits are often eaten as a snack or dessert. nutritionists argue that although tomatoes may be fruits from a botanical perspective, they arent eaten the way typical fruits are, so theyre vegetables. depending on who you ask, a tomato can be considered a fruit, a vegetable, or both.
what is the main, or central, idea of the passage?
botanists consider all plant parts with seeds to be fruits, but nutritionists consider many of them to be vegetables.
tomatoes are scientifically classified as fruits, but they are not served the way other fruits are often served.
nutritionists consider plant parts that have seeds but are not high in fructose to be vegetables.

Explanation:

The passage first presents the botanists' view that any plant part with seeds is a fruit. Then it contrasts with nutritionists' view, who use different criteria (sweetness, fructose content, and how they are eaten) to classify many seed - containing plant parts as vegetables. The tomato example is used to illustrate the difference, but the overall main idea is about the different classifications by botanists and nutritionists.

Answer:

Botanists consider all plant parts with seeds to be fruits, but nutritionists consider many of them to be vegetables.