The word "bested" (Line 3, Para. 5) most probably means ______.

A．compel the subjects to separate major information from minor details
B．put the subjects through increasingly complex tests
C．cheek the effectiveness of nicotine on smokers
D．register the prompt responses of the subjects

A．Active smokers in general performed better than deprived smokers.
B．Active smokers responded more quickly than the other subjects.
C．Non-smokers were not better than other subjects in performing simple tasks.
D．Deprived smokers gave the slowest responses to the various tasks.