Questions: Remaining Time: 22 minutes, 50 seconds. Question Completion Status: Moving to another question will save this response. Question 11 of 25 Question 11 2 points Save Answer Recently, beekeepers have noticed an alarming and sudden disappearance of honeybees from their hives. Some beekeepers and environmentalists worry that crops that are genetically engineered to produce Bt insecticidal toxin may be killing the bees. Without data from a scientific experiment, is it reasonable to state that Bt-containing crops are responsible for the loss of honeybees? a. No, because there is no reason to suspect that an insecticide would kill honeybees. b. No, because there could be some other unknown or unmentioned factor affecting the survival of honeybees. c. Yes, because there cannot possibly be any other explanation for the loss of the honeybees. d. Yes, because it is obviously the Bt crops that are killing the bees. Moving to another question will save this response. Question 11 of 25

The answer is the second one (b): No, because there could be some other unknown or unmentioned factor affecting the survival of honeybees.

Explanation for each option:

a. No, because there is no reason to suspect that an insecticide would kill honeybees.

• This option is incorrect because insecticides, by their nature, are designed to kill insects, and it is plausible that they could affect non-target insects like honeybees. Therefore, there is a reason to suspect that an insecticide could potentially harm honeybees.

b. No, because there could be some other unknown or unmentioned factor affecting the survival of honeybees.

• This option is correct. Without scientific data or experiments, it is not reasonable to conclusively state that Bt-containing crops are responsible for the loss of honeybees. There could be multiple factors, such as disease, habitat loss, or other environmental changes, contributing to the decline in honeybee populations.

c. Yes, because there cannot possibly be any other explanation for the loss of the honeybees.

• This option is incorrect. It is not scientifically sound to claim that there is no other possible explanation without evidence. Multiple factors could be contributing to the issue, and it requires scientific investigation to determine the cause.

d. Yes, because it is obviously the Bt crops that are killing the bees.

• This option is incorrect. It is not obvious without scientific evidence that Bt crops are responsible for the decline in honeybee populations. Making such a claim without data is speculative and not based on scientific reasoning.

In summary, without scientific data, it is not reasonable to attribute the disappearance of honeybees solely to Bt-containing crops, as other factors could also be involved.