GRE Reading Comprehension

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Source: CHP

One advantage of breeding African bees with other bee types (Africanization) may be resistance to the parasitic mite Varroa jacobsoni, a major threat to modern beekeeping. In parts of Europe, this mite is devastating honeybees and killing many colonies despite preventive measures by beekeepers. But in Brazil Varroa jacobsoni has been present in Africanized bees since 1972 without the loss of a single colony, even though beekeepers there undertook no preventive measures. The mites lay eggs within the brood cells of immature bees, and developing mites feed on the hemolymph (blood) of bee pupae. But fewer mites reproduce in Africanized bees than in European bees. Some researchers point out that this resistance may be related to the Africanized worker bee's shorter development period, which prevents some mites from reaching maturity. Recently the mite has become a serious problem in colonies of European bees in North America. Africanization of these bees may be the best safeguard against this parasite.

Question List: 1 2 3

According to the passage, research suggests that one possible reason the Africanized bees in Brazil have successfully resisted Varroa jacobsoni is that

  • A the life cycle of the Africanized bee may limit the Varroa jacobsoni mite's opportunity to reach full development
  • B the Africanized bees may have had an opportunity to develop a chemical resistance to Varroa jacobsoni
  • C the location of bee colonies in Brazil may provide a natural deterrent to Varroa jacobsoni
  • D Varroa jacobsoni may be relatively new to Brazil and may not have had time to become widespread
  • E beekeepers may have developed effective control techniques for Varroa jacobsoni

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