jainu wrote:
The energy an animal must expend to move uphill is proportional to its body weight, whereas the animal’s energy output available to perform this task is proportional to its surface area. This is the reason that small animals, like squirrel, can run up a tree trunk almost as fast as they can move on level ground, whereas large animals tend to slow down when they are moving uphill.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the explanation above depends?
(A) The amount of energy needed to move uphill is no greater for large animals that it is for small animals.
(B) Small animals can move more rapidly than large animals can.
(C) The ratio of surface area to body weight is smaller in large animals than it is in small animals.
(D) There is little variation in the ratio of energy output to body weight among animals.
(E) The amount of energy needed to run at a given speed is proportional to the surface area of the running animal.
Source: LSAT
Given: 1. The energy an animal must expend to move uphill is proportional to its body weight
2. The animal’s energy output available to perform this task is proportional to its surface area.
This is the reason that small animals, like squirrel, can run up a tree trunk almost as fast as they can move on level ground, whereas large animals tend to slow down when they are moving uphill.
Asked: Which one of the following is an assumption on which the explanation above depends?
Energy consumed = K1 * Body Weight
Energy output = K2 * Surface Area
Energy Efficiency = Energy output / Energy consumed = K3 * (Surface area / Body Weight)
Since energy efficiency is less for larger animals as compared to smaller animals, small animals, like squirrel, can run up a tree trunk almost as fast as they can move on level ground, whereas large animals tend to slow down when they are moving uphill.
For the statement to be TRUE ratio of surface area to body weight should be smaller in larger animals than it is in small animals.
IMO C