Question

a study by mohamed alburaki, dennis vanengelsdorp, and colleagues suggests that overall, us honey bee populations exhibit low genetic diversity. working with a large sample of honey bee specimens collected from most us states, the researchers determined that there are just three maternal evolutionary lineages in the populations: the north mediterranean lineage, the west mediterranean lineage, and the african lineage. they found that of the specimens from montana, 100% descended from the north mediterranean lineage - a finding in keeping with that for the lineage in many of the other states studied. which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole? a. it expands on the claim made earlier in the sentence by providing specific data. b. it indicates that a result described earlier in the sentence reflects a widespread trend. c. it acknowledges that the results of the study discussed in the text are not entirely consistent with the researchers hypothesis. d. it summarizes the central conclusions of the study that is discussed in the text.

Explanation:

The underlined portion “a finding in keeping with that for the lineage in many of the other states studied” shows that the result from Montana (100% descended from the North Mediterranean lineage) is part of a larger, widespread pattern. It’s not providing specific data to expand a claim (A - the claim about three lineages is already made earlier and this is about consistency across states), not about results not matching a hypothesis (C - no mention of a hypothesis), and not summarizing central conclusions (D - the central conclusion is about low genetic diversity and three lineages). It indicates a widespread trend as the result from Montana aligns with what’s found in many other states.

Answer:

B. It indicates that a result described earlier in the sentence reflects a widespread trend.