What word comes to your mind when you see a picture of a sloth? Most people associate sloths with being slothful or lazy and inactive. But is this common association correct?
Dr. Rebecca Cliffe is a British zoologist who is one of the world’s leading experts on the behavior and ecology of sloths. In her book Sloths: Life in the Slow Lane, Dr. Cliffe DISPELS or removes misconceptions about sloths.
Needless to say, SAT test writers are aware of how Dr. Cliffe’s research DISPELS misconceptions about sloths. It turns out that sloths are not lazy. Their slow movements are a clever survival strategy to save energy. Sloths mostly eat leaves, twigs and buds. This food has very few nutrients and calories. Sloths have one of the lowest metabolic rates of any mammal. It can take up to a month for them to digest a single meal! Because they get so little energy from their food, sloths must move slowly to conserve their energy!
DISPEL – to remove misconceptions, false ideas, and rumors
Bonus Point: American history provides many examples of how writers DISPELLED popular misconceptions. For example, during the 1950s, most biologists accepted the prevailing view that DDT and other chemical pesticides were harmless tools that safely eradicated mosquitoes and other insect pests. However, an American marine biologist named Rachel Carson conducted research that DISPELLED this popular misconception about DDT. Carson published her findings in Silent Spring, a groundbreaking book that helped launch the environmental movement.