The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Based on the text provided, the correct answer is:
Trees in a forest work to support one another by using an underground fungal network.
Explanation
This statement best represents the central idea of the passage because it synthesizes the main components of the text into a single, comprehensive thought. The passage’s primary goal is to shift our perception of trees from simple, individual objects to complex, social organisms that actively cooperate. The main idea is not just about the existence of a network, but what that network allows trees to do.
The first answer choice, “The wood-wide web is an underground fungal network of connections between trees,” is a correct statement of fact presented in the passage. However, it is a supporting detail, not the main idea. It describes the mechanism, the “how,” but misses the larger point of the passage, which is the “what” and “why.” The existence of the network is the foundation, but the central theme is the cooperative behavior it enables.
The passage builds its argument by first introducing the concept that trees are “far more complex and social than we recognize.” It then explains that trees use the fungal network to “communicate with and support one another.” This support is further detailed through examples like sharing water, carbon, and nutrients, particularly through the “source-sink model” where stronger trees help weaker ones. The concluding sentence reinforces this central theme by stating that trees “ensure the health of the entire community by working cooperatively.”
Therefore, the second option is the correct main idea because it captures the active, supportive relationship between the trees, which is the core message, while also including the crucial mechanism, the underground network, that makes this cooperation possible. It accurately reflects the passage’s focus on the social and supportive actions of the trees as a community.
