While flipping through an agriculture products catalog, you come across the following advertisment, "The Centralized Ripening System—makes large scale hormone distribution even easier!". What hormone does this product distribute?

Question

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

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 This question is asking about the use of chemicals to speed up 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 means the maturation of fruit.

Gather Content
· What do you already know about fruit ripening? How does it relate to the question?
        o Hormones regulate the activities of plant tissues.
        o Ripening is regulated by hormones.

Consider Possibilities
· What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
        o Auxin has many functions, but is not involved in ripening.
        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 a hormone that facilitates ripening in fruit..

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 role of 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 requires hormones, or that ethylene ripens fruit? Did you have trouble extending the functions of hormones to determine the correct answer?