Question

text 1
people have long questioned whether the tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. according to scientists, a fruit is the part of a flowering plant that contains seeds. tomatoes are the seed-holding structures that form on a tomato plant. so, the biology of a tomato plant shows us that tomatoes are really fruits.

text 2
in 1893, the u.s. supreme court ruled that the tomato is not a fruit. the court made this decision because most people referred to tomatoes as vegetables. one judge said that vegetables are usually eaten as part of a meal, whereas fruits are eaten as a dessert or snack. he argued that most people treated tomatoes more like vegetables in this way than like fruits. the other judges agreed, and tomatoes were declared to be vegetables.

which sentence best combines the main, or central, ideas of both texts?
the u.s. supreme court decided that tomatoes are vegetables after proving that the biology of a tomato is not fruit-like.
both scientists and supreme court judges believe that tomatoes should be considered fruits because of their biology.
even though science shows that tomatoes are fruits, the u.s. supreme court has declared that tomatoes are vegetables.

Explanation:

Text 1 establishes that scientifically, tomatoes are fruits based on plant biology. Text 2 states that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled tomatoes are vegetables, based on common usage, not contradicting the scientific definition. The correct option must combine both these core ideas without misstating either text's content. The first option incorrectly claims the Court disproved the tomato's fruit-like biology, which is false. The second option is wrong because the Court did not consider tomatoes fruits. The third option accurately merges the scientific classification and the Court's ruling.

Answer:

Even though science shows that tomatoes are fruits, the U.S. Supreme Court has declared that tomatoes are vegetables.