Passage I

A study was conducted to examine whether female Blattella germanica (a species of cockroach) prefer to eat cat food, cheese, ham, or peanuts. First, 200 mg of each of the 4 foods was separately placed into a single box. Then, adult female B. germanica were added to the box. Figure 1 shows how the mass, in mg, of each food in the box changed over time after the addition of the B. germanica. Table 1 shows the percent by mass of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and water, respectively, present in each of the 4 foods tested in the study.

Figure adapted from Prachumporn Lauprasert et al.,"Food Preference and Feeding Behavior of the German Cockroach, Blattella germanica (Linnaeus). ©2006 by the Faculty of Science Chulalongkorn University.

Table adapted from U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Release 24. 2011

2. Suppose a company wants to use food as bait in a trap designed to capture female B. germanica. Based on Figure 1, which of the 4 foods should the company place in the trap to maximize the chance of capturing female B. germanica?

Answer and Explanation

Your Answer is

Correct Answer is J

Explanation

Looking at figure 1, the less the mass of food remaining in the ordinate, the better the effect of bait baiting. Generally speaking, the ordinate corresponding to peanut is smaller than the others