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This year in the city of Northfield a high number of Robins
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Updated on: 09 Aug 2021, 00:49
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Question 1
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86% (01:18) correct
14% (01:36) wrong based on 35 sessions
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This year in the city of Northfield a high number of Robins, small birds that eat earthworms, have been found dead from infectious diseases. Most had high tissue concentrations of certain compounds that, even in low concentrations, reduce Robins' resistance to infection. The only local source of these compounds is the Northfield Chemical Plant. Therefore, since Robins rid their bodies of the compounds rapidly once exposure ceases, their mortality rate should decline rapidly if the chemical plant stops production of the compounds.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
A. Production of the compounds was lower this year than it was a decade ago at the Northfield Chemical Plant. B. In high concentrations, the compounds are toxic to many types of birds. C. The compounds break down into harmless substances after a few months of exposure to air, soil, or water. D. Earthworms can pass soil contaminants to their predators in low concentrations that cause no harm. E. The compounds will not leak into the environment from the Northfield Chemical Plant if the plant improves its waste disposal procedures.
Step 1: Find the premises and the conclusion. Here's a rough summary of the argument.
Premise: This year a lot of Robins in Northfield have died from infectious diseases. Premise: Most of the dead Robins had compounds in them that hurt their immunity. Premise: The only local source of these compounds is the Northfield Chemical Plant. Conclusion: If the plant stops making the compounds, then the death rate of Robins in Northfield will plummet.
Step 2: Choose the answer that best supports the conclusion. First, think about how to cast doubt on the conclusion. The conclusion here is an "if-then" or conditional statement. Challenge it by explaining how the "if" part could be true yet the "then" part still false.
Imagine that the Northfield Chemical Plant stops producing the compounds, yet the local Robins continue to die in droves from infectious diseases, even months after production has stopped. Why would that happen? Here's an explanation: The compounds remain in the Robin's environment indefinitely unless humans conduct a cleanup. If this statement were true, it would hurt the argument. Is there an answer choice that rebuts it and thus helps the argument? Yes--option (C).
The other options either support the conclusion less than (C) or not at all. For instance, (B) might bolster the link between the compounds and the Robins' reduced immunity by suggesting that those substances correlate with ill-effects in birds. But here's the difference between (B) and (C). If (B) were false, the argument wouldn't really suffer. But it would if (C) were false.