Mosquitoes pose a threat to human health. Controlling mosquitoes using chemicals may have undesired consequences. In Flo...

Question

Mosquitoes pose a threat to human health. Controlling mosquitoes using chemicals may have undesired consequences. In Florida, authorities have used genetically modified mosquitoes to control the overall mosquito population. It remains to be seen if this novel approach has unforeseen consequences.

Which one of the following is the correct inference based on the above passage?

A. Using chemicals to kill mosquitoes is better than using genetically modified mosquitoes because genetic engineering is dangerous
B. Using genetically modified mosquitoes is better than using chemicals to kill mosquitoes because they do not have any side effects
C. Both using genetically modified mosquitoes and chemicals have undesired consequences and can be dangerous
D. Using chemicals to kill mosquitoes may have undesired consequences but it is not clear if using genetically modified mosquitoes has any negative consequence

Accepted Answer

Using chemicals to kill mosquitoes may have undesired consequences but it is not clear if using genetically modified mosquitoes has any negative consequence. Answer: D. The passage says chemical methods may have undesired consequences. The GM mosquito approach is called 'novel' and it 'remains to be seen' whether it has unforeseen consequences — meaning uncertainty, not confirmed harm or confirmed safety. The correct inference must respect this uncertainty without overstating either side. Option D is the only one that accurately captures both facts without going beyond the text.