While touring the ancient Egypt exhibit at the local history museum, you learn that ancient Egyptians would slash figs in order to stimulate ripening. Based on your knowledge of plant hormones you hypothesize that wounding the figs must release cytokinin. ethylene. indoleacetic acid. gibberellin. abscisic acid.

As per the researchers' study of plant hormones, the plants generate a gaseous chemical i.e. ethylene which causes the fruit to ripen. The researchers have stated that either an increase in temperature or making a cut stimulates the plants to release ethylene which makes the ripening process faster. This is the probable reason that ancient people used to slash fruits to promote quicker ripening. Increasing the temperature also works similarly for giving off the chemical ethylene that causes the fruit to ripe faster. Hence, option b is the correct answer.