Question

field mustard is a plant species that includes turnips, napa cabbage, and bok choy. like many plants, field mustard reproduces by making flowers that then make seeds.
flowering time is the amount of time between when the plant begins to grow and when it starts to make flowers. flowering time can vary among different field mustard plants.

a field mustard plant with flowers

the table below describes a possible population of field mustard plants over a time period long enough for natural selection to occur. the table shows the populations average flowering time at the start and end of this period.

data about a population of field mustard plants
point in time average flowering time (days)
start 41.4
end 51.7

complete the following statements to construct the hypothesis that is best supported by the data.

over this time period, plants with shorter flowering times were likely to reproduce than plants with longer flowering times. this means that having a shorter flowering time was advantageous than having a longer flowering time.

Explanation:

The data shows the average flowering time increased from 41.4 to 51.7 days, meaning plants with longer flowering time became more common. This implies shorter-flowering plants had lower reproductive success, so shorter flowering time was a disadvantage.

Answer:

Over this time period, plants with shorter flowering times were less likely to reproduce than plants with longer flowering times. This means that having a shorter flowering time was less advantageous than having a longer flowering time.