Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
May 0808:00 AM PDT
-08:30 AM PDT
Join the special YouTube live-stream for selecting the winners of GMAT Club MBA Scholarships sponsored by Juno live. Watch who gets these coveted MBA scholarships offered by GMAT Club and Juno.
07 May 2026, 04:53
Kudos
Bookmarks
C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
(N/A)
Question Stats:
60% (02:11) correct
40%
(02:28)
wrong
based on 15
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
A tiny, tree-living thrips is the first species identified that can reproduce both by laying eggs and by bearing live young, although for any one instance of reproduction, a given female will use only one of the two methods. Interestingly, biologists have observed that all of the offspring of this insect that are hatched from eggs are females, and all of the offspring that are live-born are males. It has also been noted that any particular live-born brood will comprise fewer individuals than any particular brood hatched from eggs. However, a much larger proportion of male offspring than of female offspring survives to adulthood, and among thrips reaching adulthood the ratio of males to females is about even.
Which one of the following can be properly inferred about the species of thrips described in the passage?
(A) It is the only species capable of using two different methods of reproduction.
(B) Any female of the species that can reproduce by laying eggs can also reproduce by bearing live young but not necessarily vice versa.
(C) On average, across the species, more of the offspring are born by hatching from eggs than are born live.
(D) For the species as a whole, there are, over time, about as many instances of live-born broods as there are broods hatched from eggs.
(E) There are females that use only one of the two methods of reproduction over the course of their lives.
Which one of the following can be properly inferred about the species of thrips described in the passage?
(A) It is the only species capable of using two different methods of reproduction.
(B) Any female of the species that can reproduce by laying eggs can also reproduce by bearing live young but not necessarily vice versa.
(C) On average, across the species, more of the offspring are born by hatching from eggs than are born live.
(D) For the species as a whole, there are, over time, about as many instances of live-born broods as there are broods hatched from eggs.
(E) There are females that use only one of the two methods of reproduction over the course of their lives.
07 May 2026, 05:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
I think option C is the best answer here.
The passage says:
• offspring hatched from eggs are all females
• live-born offspring are all males
• live-born broods contain fewer individuals than egg broods
• but more males survive to adulthood, so eventually the adult male:female ratio becomes about equal
From this, we can infer that initially more females must be produced than males.
Why?
Because if the number of females and males produced were already equal at birth, and males survive at a much higher rate, then males would outnumber females in adulthood.
But the passage says the adult ratio becomes approximately even.
So the species must start with more females being produced, and since females come from eggs, it follows that more offspring are produced through eggs than through live birth.
That directly supports option C.
---
Why the other options are weaker:
(A) The passage only says this is the first species identified with both reproductive methods.
That does NOT mean it is the only species capable of doing so.
(B) The passage never says females that lay eggs can also give live birth.
It only says a female uses one method for a given reproductive instance.
(D) This talks about the number of broods, not the number of offspring.
A live-born brood is specifically said to contain fewer individuals, so equal numbers of broods would not help prove anything.
(E) The passage never states that some females use only one method throughout their entire lives.
It only says that during a particular reproductive instance, a female uses one method.
So C is the only choice that can actually be inferred from the information given in the passage.
— Rajdeep
The passage says:
• offspring hatched from eggs are all females
• live-born offspring are all males
• live-born broods contain fewer individuals than egg broods
• but more males survive to adulthood, so eventually the adult male:female ratio becomes about equal
From this, we can infer that initially more females must be produced than males.
Why?
Because if the number of females and males produced were already equal at birth, and males survive at a much higher rate, then males would outnumber females in adulthood.
But the passage says the adult ratio becomes approximately even.
So the species must start with more females being produced, and since females come from eggs, it follows that more offspring are produced through eggs than through live birth.
That directly supports option C.
---
Why the other options are weaker:
(A) The passage only says this is the first species identified with both reproductive methods.
That does NOT mean it is the only species capable of doing so.
(B) The passage never says females that lay eggs can also give live birth.
It only says a female uses one method for a given reproductive instance.
(D) This talks about the number of broods, not the number of offspring.
A live-born brood is specifically said to contain fewer individuals, so equal numbers of broods would not help prove anything.
(E) The passage never states that some females use only one method throughout their entire lives.
It only says that during a particular reproductive instance, a female uses one method.
So C is the only choice that can actually be inferred from the information given in the passage.
— Rajdeep
07 May 2026, 10:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
A tiny, tree-living thrips is the first species identified that can reproduce both by laying eggs and by bearing live young, although for any one instance of reproduction, a given female will use only one of the two methods. Interestingly, biologists have observed that all of the offspring of this insect that are hatched from eggs are females, and all of the offspring that are live-born are males. It has also been noted that any particular live-born brood will comprise fewer individuals than any particular brood hatched from eggs. However, a much larger proportion of male offspring than of female offspring survives to adulthood, and among thrips reaching adulthood the ratio of males to females is about even.
Which one of the following can be properly inferred about the species of thrips described in the passage?
The passage says egg-hatched offspring are female, live-born offspring are male, and male offspring survive to adulthood at a much higher rate. Since adult males and females are about equal in number, there must have been more female offspring initially to offset their lower survival rate.
(A) It is the only species capable of using two different methods of reproduction.
Wrong. The passage says it is the first species identified with this ability, not the only species with this ability.
(B) Any female of the species that can reproduce by laying eggs can also reproduce by bearing live young but not necessarily vice versa.
Wrong. The passage does not establish this distinction among females.
(C) On average, across the species, more of the offspring are born by hatching from eggs than are born live.
Correct. Egg-hatched offspring are female, and live-born offspring are male. Since males survive at a much higher rate but adults are about evenly split, there must be more female offspring produced at the start. So more offspring are born from eggs than are born live.
(D) For the species as a whole, there are, over time, about as many instances of live-born broods as there are broods hatched from eggs.
Wrong. The passage gives information about offspring numbers and survival rates, not the number of broods of each type.
(E) There are females that use only one of the two methods of reproduction over the course of their lives.
Wrong. The passage says a female uses only one method in any one instance of reproduction, but it does not say some females use only one method for life.
Answer: (C)
Which one of the following can be properly inferred about the species of thrips described in the passage?
The passage says egg-hatched offspring are female, live-born offspring are male, and male offspring survive to adulthood at a much higher rate. Since adult males and females are about equal in number, there must have been more female offspring initially to offset their lower survival rate.
(A) It is the only species capable of using two different methods of reproduction.
Wrong. The passage says it is the first species identified with this ability, not the only species with this ability.
(B) Any female of the species that can reproduce by laying eggs can also reproduce by bearing live young but not necessarily vice versa.
Wrong. The passage does not establish this distinction among females.
(C) On average, across the species, more of the offspring are born by hatching from eggs than are born live.
Correct. Egg-hatched offspring are female, and live-born offspring are male. Since males survive at a much higher rate but adults are about evenly split, there must be more female offspring produced at the start. So more offspring are born from eggs than are born live.
(D) For the species as a whole, there are, over time, about as many instances of live-born broods as there are broods hatched from eggs.
Wrong. The passage gives information about offspring numbers and survival rates, not the number of broods of each type.
(E) There are females that use only one of the two methods of reproduction over the course of their lives.
Wrong. The passage says a female uses only one method in any one instance of reproduction, but it does not say some females use only one method for life.
Answer: (C)
