Q5

[nnn2108]

Where in the text does it support D?

I see now how E is wrong, because it says "Burning also influenced forest composition in the tropics, where natural fires are rare. An example is the pine-dominant forests of Nicaragua...". This would suggest that the author would not be most likely to agree with the fact that Nicaraguan pine forests could only have been created either by natural fires or by controlled burning.

[ohthatpatrick]

"most likely to agree" questions are in the same family as "inferred" / "implies" / "suggests".

These are Inference questions - sometimes they test broad big ideas, often nitty-gritty details.

You stay flexible, cast a dubious eye on any answer choices with Extreme / Comparative / Out of Scope wording, and ultimately try to prove your selected answer with a line reference.

(A) "could just as easily" is a red flag comparison idea. More importantly, this answer is the opposite of the author's entire thesis.

(B) The one sentence about herbaceous undergrowth (31-34), indicates that it occurs within mature forestland, so we have no support that it prevents mature forestland.

(C) "little impact" is a red flag extreme idea. This is a Fake Opposite. The author is arguing that natives had MORE of an effect on the ecosystems than historians usually give them credit for. That doesn't mean the author is arguing that Europeans had LESS of an effect that people believe.

(D) Lines 35-42 discuss berries, other fire-tolerant and sun-loving foods, and specific types of forests as having been affected by regular burning.

(E) This mimics (A). All of the author's examples are meant to support a picture of "this was controlled burning, not just natural fires", to support his thesis in line 16-17.

Hope this helps.