Help an exhausted grad student fix the introduction to their sociology thesis. Choose the correct articles for the blanks.

"While analyzing _____ behavior of urban foxes, researchers noted that _____ social cohesion is crucial for their survival."

The correct answer is the / — (no article).

In academic writing, we use the definite article the before an abstract noun when it is post-modified by an of-phrase (e.g., "the behavior of urban foxes"), as this makes the reference specific.

On the other hand, "social cohesion" is an abstract, uncountable concept being discussed in a broad, general sense, which requires the zero article.