Which of the following best fits in the… | [국회직 8급 영어] 20년 1회차 기출문제 상세 페이지

Which of the following best fits in the blank?
While most flowering plants reward pollinators with tasty nectar, many orchid species turn to trickery. Some use what's called food deception. They produce flowers that look or smell like they offer food, but offer no edible reward. Other orchids use sexual deception. They produce flowers that look or smell like female insects, usually bees or wasps. Males are drawn to the sexy flowers and attempt to mate with them. In doing so, they accidentally collect pollen on their bodies, which fertilizes the next orchid they visit. From an evolutionary perspective, the sexual strategy is a bit puzzling. Orchids that offer nectar or mimic food can attract a wide variety of food-seeking pollinators－bees, wasps, flies, ants and so on. But sexual displays are only attractive to the males of a single species－a flower that looks like a female wasp is only going to attract male wasps, not other insects. So in appealing to sex, these orchids limit their potential pollinators, which would seem to be a(n) __________________.

mutual agreement

attractive strategy

profitable investment

reproductive disadvantage

evolutionary advancement

빈칸에는 “reproductive disadvantage”(번식상의 불리함)가 들어간다.
빈칸 앞 “limit their potential pollinators”(잠재적 꽃가루 매개자를 제한한다)가 핵심이다. 수컷 한 종만 끌어들이는 전략은 진화적으로 “puzzling”(의아한) 것이므로 부정적 평가가 와야 한다.
“mutual agreement”(상호 합의): 난초가 곤충을 속이는 내용과 반대다.
“attractive strategy”(매력적인 전략): 긍정적 평가라 “limit”의 흐름과 어긋난다.
“profitable investment”(수익성 있는 투자): 역시 불리함을 말하는 문맥과 어긋난다.
“evolutionary advancement”(진화적 진보): 의아하다는 앞선 평가와 반대다.