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Re: Exterminator: Using poisoned food is the most effective tact [#permalink]
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projectoffset wrote:
I would like to know why C is better than A.

The explanation given for A states that "These do not represent “all signs” of an infestation; mice may leave droppings, chew things up, and so on. Further, the mice are not harder to see and hear only after poison has been used," among other things.

However, this seems like a flimsy reasoning to me. It states arbitrary possibilities as facts, which I don't understand.

For example: I can just as easily say that mice ARE harder to see and hear after poison because they become sluggish and cannot move as far. Or perhaps I can say that while these aren't the only signs of mice, any other signs don't necessarily have to be categorized as visible. Leaving droppings or chewing things can occur in places not visible to me.

I don't see their reasoning as more likely than mine by any means.

Moreover, answer C states: In the spring, many mice that nest in houses begin foraging for food outside and do not return to the comfort of the house until the fall or winter.

Two things jump out at me that should disqualify this as an answer:

1. Many mice is not all mice. This implies that some mice may not leave houses for as long or altogether.

2. It introduces seasons, implying some sort of temporal restriction, which is not part of the initial problem paragraph at all. One can just as easily say that due to this, the answer is irrelevant as we do not know WHEN exactly this infestation occurs.

Can someone help me with this?

I'll do my best to explain my interpretation of why C > A.

To start at the beginning, we are ask to weaken the premise of "the absence of signs for three weeks means the mice have been eradicated by the poison".

When I looked at A, I thought the same way the OE stated. The premise asks for absence of all signs, which include droppings, chewed up things etc. Just because I don't see or hear the mice, doesn't mean they are gone for good.

However, when I looked at C, I saw it as a more reasonable thought process. Let's say that the there is no signs whatsoever. This means no droppings, no chewed up things, no seeing mice. It's all gone. If presented with answer C, that some mice will go away and come back, it weakens what the Exterminator said. Answer (A) gives you leeway in the sense that mice could still be active in those three weeks but you just wouldn't know it. Answer (C) says that they are not active in those 3 weeks, but they will come back after those three weeks.

Sorry if my explanation is poor, I tried.
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Re: Exterminator: Using poisoned food is the most effective tact [#permalink]
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Carcass wrote:
Exterminator: Using poisoned food is the most effective tactic for combating a mouse infestation.The mouse will carry the food back to the nest, causing all of the mice to die, while a trap will kill only the one mouse that falls into it. If all signs of the mice disappear for three consecutive weeks after poisoned food is used, the homeowner can be sure that the poison was successful in eradicating the mice.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously calls into question the exterminator’s claim that the absence of signs for three weeks means the mice have been eradicated by the poison?

(A) Because mice hide whenever they sense humans, it is very difficult to see or hear mice even when there is an active infestation.
(B) It is more humane to use “live-catch” traps that allow homeowners to release the still- living mice outside.
(C) In the spring, many mice that nest in houses begin foraging for food outside and do not return to the comfort of the house until the fall or winter.
(D) There are several different kinds of poison that could be used, some of which are more effective than others.
(E) It sometimes takes longer than three weeks for all of the mice to ingest and die from the poison.

I think that C is true answer
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Re: Exterminator: Using poisoned food is the most effective tact [#permalink]
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I think C. But these methods are only temporary methods to prevent rodents come in to the house and sometimes if we don't see their signs then also we cannot determine if they are permanently gone or not because there might be a chance that they are out in the summer searching for food and then next winter again they are in your home. So I think to get permanently rid of them pest control by the professional pest control services providing companies is the best option.
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Re: Exterminator: Using poisoned food is the most effective tact [#permalink]
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Quote:
Exterminator: Using poisoned food is the most effective tactic for combating a mouse infestation. The mouse will carry the food back to the nest, causing all of the mice to die, while a trap will kill only the one mouse that falls into it. If all signs of the mice disappear for three consecutive weeks after poisoned food is used, the homeowner can be sure that the poison was successful in eradicating the mice.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously calls into question the exterminator’s claim that the absence of signs for three weeks means the mice have been eradicated by the poison?

(A) Because mice hide whenever they sense humans, it is very difficult to see or hear mice even when there is an active infestation.
(B) It is more humane to use “live-catch” traps that allow homeowners to release the still- living mice outside.
(C) In the spring, many mice that nest in houses begin foraging for food outside and do not return to the comfort of the house until the fall or winter.
(D) There are several different kinds of poison that could be used, some of which are more effective than others.
(E) It sometimes takes longer than three weeks for all of the mice to ingest and die from the poison.

When dealing with short, argument-based reading comprehension, first identify the question task as it pertains to the conclusion. In this case, we are asked to weaken the exterminator's claim.

The second step, is to identify the conclusion. Here, the question itself already does that work for us by identifying the claim as "that the absence of signs for three weeks means the mice have been eradicated by the poison".

The third step is to try and predict an answer yourself, broadly. In this case we need to show that just because the mice are absent ≠ "eradicated by poison".

Finally, look to the answer choices for an option that provides information that matches our prediction that mice are absent ≠ "eradicated by poison".

(A) Because mice hide whenever they sense humans, it is very difficult to see or hear mice even when there is an active infestation.
- Eliminate. Look for vague terms or information that requires further interpretation. Here, we cannot determine whether the mice in question can "sense humans" in order to appropriately evaluate the impact on the conclusion.

(B) It is more humane to use “live-catch” traps that allow homeowners to release the still- living mice outside.
- Eliminate. Alternative approaches have no impact on the argument at hand.

(C) In the spring, many mice that nest in houses begin foraging for food outside and do not return to the comfort of the house until the fall or winter.
- Select. This provides another reason that the mice may be absent that would not require that they have been eradicated by the poison.

(D) There are several different kinds of poison that could be used, some of which are more effective than others.
- Eliminate. Alternative approaches have no impact on the argument at hand.

(E) It sometimes takes longer than three weeks for all of the mice to ingest and die from the poison.
- Eliminate. "Sometimes" is a vague term that is impossible to use to evaluate the current situation.
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Re: Exterminator: Using poisoned food is the most effective tact [#permalink]
Tourist1703 wrote:
In order to answer it we should find some option which can reasonably explain why even though all sign of mice disappeared we cannot say that it eradicated the mice. C gives the best reasonable answer. Choice A may seem true but to see and hear are not only signs of mice presence.

and spring is not the only season to kill mice
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Exterminator: Using poisoned food is the most effective tact [#permalink]
from my perspective the best answer is A
because if you can't find sign of mice exitance you can't till if they are still their or gone
c is limited to spring season
E is limited when mice have shortage in food so they used to storage food for winter then they consume it
but with plenty of food like houses they will consume it right the way
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Re: Exterminator: Using poisoned food is the most effective tact [#permalink]
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Re: Exterminator: Using poisoned food is the most effective tact [#permalink]
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