Digital SAT Reading and Writing Practice Question #725

While researching insect mating habits, a student has taken the following notes: - The *Mantis religiosa* (European praying mantis) is renowned for sexual cannibalism, a process where the female consumes the male during mating. - In their natural wild habitats, comprehensive ecological studies show this cannibalistic behavior occurs in only about 13% to 28% of mating encounters. - Decades ago, early laboratory studies documented sexual cannibalism occurring in up to 80% of encounters, leading to wildly exaggerated public perceptions. - In 1984, entomologist E. Liske conducted research revealing that standard laboratory conditions—specifically, poor lighting, intrusive observation methods, and severe spatial confinement—artificially induced extreme stress and aggression in the mantises. - Liske found that when mantises are provided with spacious, well-lit enclosures, the rate of sexual cannibalism drops dramatically to match wild statistics. The student wants to emphasize the specific role that artificial environmental factors played in skewing early scientific understanding of mantis behavior. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?