Question

Which of these is the best statement for the main idea of the passage?

A) The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas. You can see these beautiful flowers along Texas roadsides each spring.
B) The Texas bluebonnet must interact with many forces in order to grow and bloom. These include the force of gravity and the force of water pressure inside its cells.
C) The Texas bluebonnet must overcome the powerful force of gravity in order to grow and produce its beautiful flowers.
D) Plants like the bluebonnet use the force of water pressure to push out their seeds and up through the soil against the pull of gravity.

Answer 1

The best statement for the main idea of the passage is the evolutionary adaptation of flowers to attract specific pollinators, as driven by natural selection, highlighting ecological relationships rather than mere physical growth against gravity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage suggests a main idea centered around the concept of how flowers have evolved to attract specific pollinators. This adaptation has been a product of the forces of natural selection acting on the interaction between pollinators and plants. For instance, certain flowers have developed shapes and colors that are particularly attractive to certain pollinators like bees and hummingbirds, as seen in the wide foxglove flower and the long, tube-shaped trumpet creeper flower respectively. Additionally, the mention of flowering plants dominating terrestrial landscapes due to their vivid colors and fragrances further supports the importance of these adaptations in pollination processes. The main idea is not just the growth of the plants against forces like gravity, but rather the evolutionary relationships and adaptations flowers have developed in response to their ecological niches.