OFFICIAL EXPLANATION QUESTION #2


E

With five-choice questions that are not specific enough for you to make a prediction, it is better to eliminate than attempt to recognize the correct answer initially. Walking down the list of choices, (A) doesn't stand up because no details are given concerning the nature of the mimic octopus's discovery, only its year. The most that the passage asserts regarding the mimic octopus's abilities within the scheme of evolutionary theory is that it "adds a wrinkle." The wording of choice (B) is too extreme to follow from the passage. As with (A), choice (C) makes an inference without any supporting details in the passage. The passage lists three creatures that the octopus mimics and explains how it uses each of those disguises. Nothing suggests that these are the only creatures it imitates or that sight is required for the mimicking process. Choice (D), which acknowledges the mimic octopus's intelligence, falls outside the scope of the passage, which gives no grounds for comparing it to that of humans. Choice ( $\(\mathbf{E}\)$ ) is the correct answer, not just because it is left standing after the process of elimination, but also because the passage gives us ample discussion of animal camouflage, describing it primarily as defensive. Only the mimic octopus is described as using camouflage to catch prey.