How will the right answer fit in terms of support and conclusion?

Only the right answer will “resolve the apparent discrepancy”, in other words it will support the conclusion that there isn’t actually a discrepancy.

Highlight the main conclusion in the passage, if there is one:

this must be the conclusion

[BACKGROUND]. [BACKGROUND]. [BACKGROUND].

As usual, the “resolve” prompt comes with a passage that’s all background info, and that makes a comparison. To make the comparison make sense, the right answer will have to give us either some other benefit of “honey” or some other drawback to the “antibiotic ointment”.

Map the wording of the answers to the wording of the passage:

(A) Wounds that have simply been cleaned…heal faster than wounds…treated with antibiotic ointment.

We like the comparison structure, but it’s the wrong comparison. We need some reason why “honey” works better than either of the options mentioned in this answer.

(B) The bacteria found in honey are…

This is so wordy that I don’t blame you for thinking it might be relevant. The first part of the answer makes a comparison between bacteria in honey and in wounds, but the passage isn’t comparing different bacteria to each other. The passage says honey contains “significant quantities of bacteria”, so even with this info we still don’t know why honey works better as a treatment.

(C) Honey has properties that inhibit the growth of bacteria in wounds…and antibiotic ointments damage sensitive wound tissue…

This answer fills in some explanation for both sides of the comparison, so I hope you can see this going out of its way to be the right answer. We have a benefit of honey and a drawback to ointment. Discrepancy resolved.

(D) …honey inhibits the growth of bacteria in wounds…

This gives us half of what (C) gave us. Not bad. This could be a right answer if we didn’t already have a better one.

(E) …but honey does not have this effect…

That’s swell, but this answer doesn’t help us make the comparison between antibiotics and honey. You’d have to assume that this fact is enough to outweigh the “significant quantities of bacteria” in the honey. You see how (C) allows us to make the direct comparison, but this answer doesn’t? We’re not allowed to add in our own assumptions.

(C) is the correct answer.

Common pattern/s in this question: Almost every “resolve” or “explain” prompt will have a comparison in its passage. Recognizing that puts you in the driver’s seat going through the answers, especially on a list like this with multiple quasi-relevant choices.