Historian Dr. Camille Fontaine examined diaries and letters from women who worked in British munitions factories during World War I. Before the war, most of these women had been employed in domestic service or textile work at significantly lower wages. Their letters describe not only the higher pay and camaraderie of factory life but also a growing sense of professional competence and independence. After the war ended and soldiers returned, nearly all of these women were dismissed from their factory positions and encouraged to return to their prewar occupations. Fontaine notes that several of the women’s later letters express frustration at being told their factory skills were no longer needed.

What can most reasonably be inferred from the text?

Ecologist Dr. Nikolai Petrov studied two populations of the same butterfly species living on opposite sides of a mountain range. The western population, which inhabits meadows with predominantly purple wildflowers, displayed mostly purple wing markings. The eastern population, found in meadows dominated by yellow wildflowers, displayed mostly yellow wing markings. When Petrov transplanted caterpillars from the western population to the eastern meadows, the resulting adult butterflies still had purple markings, matching their parents rather than their new environment.

What can most reasonably be inferred from the text?

Economist Dr. Yara Mansour analyzed pricing data from online retailers and found that the same product was often listed at different prices depending on the buyer’s geographic location, browsing history, and device type. Shoppers using newer, more expensive devices were shown higher prices than those using older models, even when both were logged into the same retailer account. Mansour noted that customers were generally unaware that the prices they saw were personalized, as each shopper could only view their own price without a direct comparison.

What can most reasonably be inferred from the text?

Microbiologist Dr. Elena Varga discovered that a strain of soil bacteria found near a volcanic hot spring could break down a type of industrial plastic that resists degradation by all previously known organisms. In lab conditions, the bacteria reduced a sample of the plastic by 40 percent over six months. However, the bacteria required temperatures between 55°C and 70°C to remain active, and their plastic-degrading ability dropped sharply when other common soil bacteria were introduced into the same environment, apparently because the competing organisms outcompeted them for essential nutrients.

What can most reasonably be inferred from the text?