What can the reader conclude based on the selection?

Question

Responses
A The specific parts of a plant that produces chemicals are the leaves. The specific parts of a plant that produces chemicals are the leaves.
B Different chemicals are produced when attacked by a lawn mower vs an insect. Different chemicals are produced when attacked by a lawn mower vs an insect.
C The specific parts of a plant that senses sounds are still being studied. The specific parts of a plant that senses sounds are still being studied.
D More chemicals are produced when attacked by an insect vs a lawn mower.

Tears of Grass
A. Gautam

Plants are much more complex than humans previously considered them to be. Studies have shown their sensory abilities and reactions. Some claims, like plants responding to classical music, are not proven by research. However, some interesting findings have led to a better understanding of plants’ senses.

Scientists have studied plants in many scenarios. If you find the sweet scent of fresh-cut grass pleasant, you may want to rethink it. Scientists say blades of grass feel otherwise. In fact, they react to being wounded. Two scientists from University of Missouri have studied plants’ reactions to stress for many years. Jack C Schultz and his wife Heide Appel are considered experts on the subject. Their findings are eye-opening claims.

For example, when wounded, a plant can release airborne chemicals. These chemicals aim to attract birds and insects for defense and in order to get rid of the pests that are causing the damage. Therefore, when people cut the grass, the grass is attempting to seek help.

One such chemicals that plants produce while under the attack are called volatiles or odors that travel through the air. The fresh cut grass smell is, in fact, a cry for help. This release of chemicals is also seen in plants. While being hurt, as with a caterpillar’s chewing, plants produce chemicals, like nicotine, caffeine, and mustard oil. The intent of the chemicals is to make the creatures stop chewing on the leaves.

Research reveals that in addition to releasing defenses, plants can communicate threats to others. In one study, Schultz placed caterpillar bitten plants close to unbitten plants. The unbitten plants responded as though they were bitten and did so by releasing chemicals. Since the plants were all put in pots and couldn’t communicate through roots, the communication was a signal traveling through the air. A 2014 research shows that caterpillar attacks also trigger a wave of electric activity, which may be the signal that plants send to neighboring plants as warning.

In Schultz’s words, plants are just very slow animals. Plants can sense the approach of a hungry caterpillar before the attack begins. Plants respond to the soft sound of the insect and prepare the defense. Swiss scientists have found that some plants can smell approaching insects as well. Scientists are still trying to track down the specific parts of a plant that respond to sound.

Answer 1

Based on the selection, the reader can conclude that:

D More chemicals are produced when attacked by an insect vs. a lawn mower.

This conclusion is supported by the passage, which discusses how plants produce different chemical responses when they are wounded, specifically mentioning that plants react to caterpillar chewing—producing defensive chemicals like nicotine and caffeine—while also indicating that blades of grass release chemicals in response to being cut. The emphasis on the more complex chemical reactions linked to insect attacks compared to mechanical harm like lawn mowing suggests that the response to insects is more elaborate and involves more significant chemical production.