To answer this question, we need to identify which assumption, if untrue, would have caused the new law to fail in saving the tigers. Let's go through each option.
Conclusion:
The senator passed a law to punish poachers to save tigers, but after five years, the population is still decreasing. The question asks us to determine the assumption that, if false, explains why the law failed.
Option A:
"Poachers who are convicted and sent to prison face a maximum punishment of two years."
Analysis: This statement discusses the severity of punishment for poachers. While this might affect how effective the law is in deterring poachers, it doesn't directly address whether poaching is the primary reason for the decrease in the tiger population. A lesser punishment may reduce the deterrence effect, but it doesn't fully explain why the population continues to drop even with the law in place.
Conclusion: This is not the correct assumption. Even if the punishment is light, the law should still have some effect unless other factors are at play.
Option B:
"The villagers perceive tiger hunting as a courageous act."
Analysis: If villagers believe that hunting tigers is courageous, they may be more motivated to poach, despite the law. This could contribute to the continued decline in tiger numbers because people continue poaching regardless of the threat of punishment. The law assumes that people are deterred by legal consequences, but if social attitudes favor hunting, the law may not be as effective.
Conclusion: This could be a contributing factor, but it doesn't fully explain the failure of the law. While relevant, it doesn't directly address whether poaching is the only cause of the decline.
Option C:
"There are no other significant factors contributing to the decrease in the tiger population, such as habitat loss or natural predators."
Analysis: This assumption states that poaching is the only factor considered when passing the law. If habitat loss, prey reduction, or natural predators are also contributing to the population decline, then the law targeting poachers alone would not be sufficient to reverse the trend. If this assumption is false (i.e., there are other significant factors like habitat loss), the law would fail to save the tigers.
Conclusion: This is likely the correct answer. If other factors besides poaching are causing the population decline, then the law aimed solely at poachers would not be enough to stop the decline.
Option D:
"The law was implemented and enforced properly, without any loopholes or lack of resources for monitoring and enforcement."
Analysis: This assumption is about the effective implementation of the law. If the law was not enforced properly, it would explain why the tiger population is still decreasing despite the law being in place. However, the assumption suggests that enforcement was proper, meaning the issue lies elsewhere.
Conclusion: This assumption is crucial, but the question asks us to find the assumption under which the law failed. If the law was implemented properly, then other causes must be at play, making this not the best choice for explaining the failure.
Option E:
"None of these"
Analysis: This option suggests that none of the assumptions above contributed to the failure of the law. However, based on the analysis above, Option C seems to provide the clearest explanation for why the law did not succeed. So, this option is not correct.
Final Answer:
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The law assumed that poaching was the only factor responsible for the decline in the tiger population. However, if other factors, such as habitat loss or natural predators, were contributing to the decline, then the law alone would not be sufficient to stop it. Therefore, the failure of the law can be attributed to the assumption that there were no other significant factors affecting the tiger population.