Question

Bat Rush Hour

paragraphs 1 Just before the sun sets in South Central Texas, the summer sky comes alive. It’s the time when Mexican free-tailed bats exit their home in Bracken Bat Cave. “For more than two hours, they leave the cave and spiral higher and higher into the air,” says biologist Gary F. McCracken.

2 At first, only a few bats fly out of the cave’s dark opening. Then hundreds and thousands more swirl out. Soon a huge cloud of as many as 20 million bats has formed in the dark sky. The flapping bat wings make a whooshing sound. Finally, the Mexican free-tailed bats fly out of sight.

What does the introduction of the selection (paragraphs 1 and 2) help the reader understand?
A
The quantity and size of the groups of Mexican free-tailed bats
B
The reason why bats usually fly when it is dark outside
C
The academic interests of Gary F. McCracken and why he studies bats
D
The effects of the South Central Texas summer weather on bats

Answer 1

A

The introduction describes how only a few bats go out at first, then hundreds, thousands, and finally a cloud of as many as 20 million, so it emphasizes the quantity and size of the bat groups.