Biologist: In Region X, the average horn mass and body length of adult bighorn sheep has dropped over the past several decades. The cause is probably regulations prohibiting hunting of smaller animals. These regulations have undoubtedly given smaller sheep an advantage in surviving to a reproductive age. Therefore, genes for smaller adult size most likely have spread through the population. The two sections in boldface play which of the following roles in the biologist's argument? A The first is the main conclusion; the second is an observation for which a causal explanation is presented. B The first is a premise supporting the second; the second is the main conclusion, but not the only conclusion. C The first describes a phenomenon for which the main conclusion presents an explanation; the second is a subsidiary conclusion supporting the main conclusion. D The first is a subsidiary conclusion that supports the main conclusion; the second is a premise that independently supports the main conclusion. E The first suggests a causal explanation for a phenomenon described by the main conclusion; the second provides further evidence to support that explanation.

It is currently 14 Sep 2026, 00:15

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Biologist: In Region X, the average horn mass and body length of adult

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Psingh4249

Joined: 27 May 2026

Last visit: 14 Sep 2026

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13 Sep 2026, 23:53

Thanks a lot Marty! This was helpful.

MartyMurray

Not really. A conclusion is an opinion supported by facts.

It's true that a conclusion could turn out to be a true fact, but in an argument, something stated as fact is not the conclusion.

In this case specifically, the information about horn mass and body length is stated as fact, not as an opinion supported by other facts.

Explaining why something has occurred is not the same as confirming that it has in fact occurred.

In this specific case, the second sentence uses the wording "the cause is probably" to imply that the preceding information about bighorn sheep size is true, as in "the cause [of this observed phenomenon] is probably."

So, the point of the second sentence is to state an opinion about why something believed to have occurred has occurred. It's not to provide evidence confirming that the phenomenon has occurred.

Here's a parallel example:

The cookies are gone from the picnic table. It's likely that a squirrel took them.

The opinion that the cookies were taken by a squirrel doesn't provide evidence that the cookies are gone. Rather, it assumes that that they are gone is a fact and provides a possible way they became gone.

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