Section: Reading

Question 64 of 111


64) Read the following paragraph and answer the question at the bottom:
 1.Researchers in the field of animal behavior have long been interested in the
 2.ways animals and insects communicate. The most recent findings show that
 3.honeybees communicate mostly through "dances."
 
 4.By performing certain dance routines, the workers let the other members know
 5.of the location of a food source, its direction, and its distance. If the workers
 6.spot pollen and nectar in the flowers near their hive, they do the circular dance.
 7.On the other hand, when a food site is remote, they perform a figure-eight
 8.waggle dance, in which the slow and fast tempo movements will inform the other
 9.members of the distance to the food source. For instance, a slow waggle of the lower
10.part of the abdomen signifies a far-distance, demanding flight. Conversely, a rapid
11.waggle indicates a within-reach trip. Variations in the dance form exist among
12.different species.
 
13.The bee's orientation on the comb is a key directional cue for other bees. In the
14.absence of sun light on the comb, the bees waggle moving straight up. If the
15.sun's polarized light penetrates the hive, the bees can orient themselves
16.toward the direction of the sun's rays.

The word "recent" in line 2 is closest in meaning to which of the following?