Reducing pest populations to a level where their effects are tolerable or acceptable is termed which?

• A. Suppression
• B. Eradication
• C. Control
• D. Prevention

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is reducing pest numbers enough that they don’t cause unacceptable damage. This specific outcome is described as suppression. Suppression means bringing the pest population down to a level where damage is tolerable, and then often keeping it at or under that level.

Eradication would mean removing every single pest from the area, which isn’t implied by “tolerable” levels. Prevention refers to stopping pests from arriving or establishing in the first place, not reducing an established population. Control is a broader umbrella term for managing pests, but the question’s phrasing targets the idea of lowering numbers to acceptable levels, which is the essence of suppression.