Comprehension: Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions.…
2026
Comprehension:
Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions.
Some people believe that insect behaviour shows signs of intelligence. However, when we look
more closely, we see that most insect actions are ingrained, automatic, and hard to change.
The female Sphex wasp is a good example that challenges the idea of insect intelligence and
shows how their behaviour is more like a fixed routine than true thinking. The wasp follows a
specific pattern: she paralyses a grasshopper, places it near her burrow, checks the burrow, and
then pulls the grasshopper inside by its antennae. This may seem smart and careful, but
experiments show that her actions are not flexible. Darwin found that if the grasshopper’s
antennae were removed, the wasp could not finish her task — even though she could have used
the legs instead. This shows she cannot adjust her behaviour when something small
changes.
Another naturalist, Fabre, tried to disrupt the wasp’s routine by moving the grasshopper slightly
while she was inside the burrow. Each time, the wasp brought it back and started the inspection
all over again. He repeated this forty times, and the wasp reacted the same way every time.
This kind of repetitive behaviour suggests that she is not thinking but simply following a set
pattern triggered by certain signals. Some might say that the wasp’s behaviour is efficient and
helps her survive, so it must be intelligent. But being efficient is not the same as being
adaptable.
Identify the main theme of the passage.
Answer: B. problem solving and intelligence — ConceptThe main theme is the central idea developed across a passage. It is broader than one example and should account for the author’s repeated evidence,…
- A.
love and happiness
- B.
problem solving and intelligence
- C.
ambition and war
- D.
loss and grief
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
The main theme is the central idea developed across a passage. It is broader than one example and should account for the author’s repeated evidence, contrast, and conclusion.
A sound theme statement names the governing issue rather than merely retelling an incident or selecting a broad emotion that the passage does not develop.
Application
Identify the recurring question: whether apparently purposeful insect behaviour demonstrates intelligence.
Compare the evidence: the wasp cannot substitute the grasshopper’s legs for its antennae and restarts the same inspection whenever the grasshopper is moved.
Infer the organising contrast: efficient instinctive routine is different from flexible, adaptive reasoning.
Contrast
Love and happiness would require a focus on affection or joy, which is not the passage’s organising concern.
Ambition and war would require striving for power or conflict, which the examples do not discuss.
Loss and grief would require bereavement or emotional suffering, which is absent from the argument.
Cross-check
Both experiments support the same contrast: automatic repetition versus adaptable reasoning. That repeated contrast confirms problem solving and intelligence as the best-supported theme.
Result: the main theme is problem solving and intelligence.