While touring the ancient Egypt exhibit at the local history museum, you learn that ancient Egyptians would slash figs in order to stimulate ripening. Based on your knowledge of plant hormones you hypothesize that wounding the figs must release:

Question

A.  abscisic acid.
B.  gibberellin.
C.  indoleacetic acid.
D.  ethylene.
E.  cytokinin.

Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
· What type of thinking is required?
· What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?

Gather Content
· What do you already know about fruit ripening? How does it relate to the question?

Consider Possibilities
· What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?

Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?

Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?

Answer 1

D.  ethylene.

Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        o The question is asking about chemical influences on fruit ripening.
· What type of thinking is required?
        o You are being asked to take what you already know and apply it to the ripening of fruit.
· What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
        o Ripening, which is a maturation process by which fruit become sweeter and softer.

Gather Content
· What do you already know about fruit ripening? How does it relate to the question?
        o Hormones drive processes in plants, including ripening of fruit.

Consider Possibilities
· What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
        o Gibberellin promotes stem elongation and production of enzymes in germinating seeds.
        o Auxin has many functions, but is not involved in fruit ripining.
        o Abscisic acid inhibits bud growth, plays a role in seed dormancy, inhibits other hormones, and controls stomatal closure.
        o Cytokinin promotes cell division.

Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        o Ethylene is the only hormone listed that promotes fruit ripening.

Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
· Apply level:
        o This question asked you to assess fruit ripening. Answering this question correctly depended on your ability to use the characteristics of plant hormones in a new situation.  If you got the correct answer, great job! If you got an incorrect answer, where did the process break down? Did you remember that ripening is hormone-driven, or that ethylene promotes ripening? Did you have trouble extending the characteristics of plant hormones to determine the correct answer?