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Updated on: 05 Jan 2019, 03:42
Originally posted by guerrero25 on 17 Jan 2014, 06:52.
Last edited by Bunuel on 05 Jan 2019, 03:42, edited 5 times in total.
Last edited by Bunuel on 05 Jan 2019, 03:42, edited 5 times in total.
Renamed the topic and edited the question.
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B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
85%
(hard)
Question Stats:
49% (02:07) correct
51%
(02:09)
wrong
based on 1862
sessions
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Time
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Not Attempted Yet
Botanist: On the remote island of Tropica, it is known that early settlers brought a special variety of sunflower plant to cultivate on their arrival over 10,000 years ago. All of the sunflowers on the island today, both wild and farmed, have descended from that original variety. By studying today’s wild sunflower plants on the island of Tropica, we can learn much more about that original variety of sunflower because the wild plants have not been selectively cultivated over the years as the farmed plants have.
The botanist’s argument depends on which of the following assumptions?
(A) There were not other varieties of sunflowers on Tropica when the settlers first arrived on the island.
(B) The wild sunflower plants on the island of Tropica today are more similar to the original variety than today’s farmed plants.
(C) The climate on the island of Tropica has not changed significantly over the past 10,000 years.
(D) The selective cultivation of farmed plants over the past 10,000 years has led to few if any significant changes from the original variety.
(E) Some wild plants have mutated dramatically over the past 10,000 years.
The botanist’s argument depends on which of the following assumptions?
(A) There were not other varieties of sunflowers on Tropica when the settlers first arrived on the island.
(B) The wild sunflower plants on the island of Tropica today are more similar to the original variety than today’s farmed plants.
(C) The climate on the island of Tropica has not changed significantly over the past 10,000 years.
(D) The selective cultivation of farmed plants over the past 10,000 years has led to few if any significant changes from the original variety.
(E) Some wild plants have mutated dramatically over the past 10,000 years.
Show SpoilerVERITAS PREP OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
The botanist’s argument makes one very important (but easily overlooked) assumption: over the past 10,000 years, wild sunflowers have remained more similar to the original variety than the selectively cultivated farmed sunflowers have. What if wild sunflowers have evolved dramatically but the selective cultivation has produced very few changes from the original variety? In the original argument it is easy to assume that selectively cultivated = more changes but that is not necessarily the case.
Answer choice (B) removes this possibility by guaranteeing that indeed the wild plants are more similar and thus improves the botanist’s argument.
(A) is irrelevant because you are told in the argument that all of the sunflowers on the island today have descended from the one variety brought by the settlers.
(C) is incorrect because you do not know how a change in climate might have affected the sunflowers. Maybe the change caused major mutations in the wild sunflowers but maybe not.
(D) weakens the argument by suggesting that the changes in farmed plants were not significant (the argument assumes that they were) .
(E), with the word “some”, is problematic because it might only refer to one plant, but even if did refer to many, this statement would also weaken the argument.
Answer choice (B) removes this possibility by guaranteeing that indeed the wild plants are more similar and thus improves the botanist’s argument.
(A) is irrelevant because you are told in the argument that all of the sunflowers on the island today have descended from the one variety brought by the settlers.
(C) is incorrect because you do not know how a change in climate might have affected the sunflowers. Maybe the change caused major mutations in the wild sunflowers but maybe not.
(D) weakens the argument by suggesting that the changes in farmed plants were not significant (the argument assumes that they were) .
(E), with the word “some”, is problematic because it might only refer to one plant, but even if did refer to many, this statement would also weaken the argument.
04 Aug 2014, 23:17
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guerrero25
Responding to a pm:
Premises:
Early settlers brought a special variety of sunflower plant to cultivate.
Today, all sunflowers are descendants of that variety. (So even if there were other varieties before, they are extinct now on this island)
Conclusion's intent:
By studying today’s wild sunflower plants on the island of Tropica, we can learn much more about that original variety than by studying farmed plants.
There is a disconnect here. Premises talk generally about the farmed and wild varieties. How do we conclude that it is better to study the wild variety than the farmed one to learn about the original variety?
We are assuming that the wild variety is more similar to the original variety and that is why it is better to study the wild variety to know about the original variety than to study the farmed variety. Hence (B) is your assumption.
What about (D)? If anything, it is a weakener to our conclusion i.e. its role is opposite to that of an assumption. (D) says that farmed variety is very close to the original variety. This is actually against our conclusion which says that you must study the wild variety to know about the original variety. The assumption has to support our conclusion, in fact it is necessary for our conclusion.
Hence (D) is out. People who got lost in (D) probably got confused because they negated (D) and then found that it supports the conclusion. Please remember, an assumption must support the conclusion; in fact, it must be necessary for the conclusion.
General Discussion
17 Jan 2014, 10:21
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IMO D
Premise 1: All of the sunflowers on the island today, both wild and farmed, have descended from that original variety.
Premise 2: the wild plants have not been selectively cultivated over the years as the farmed plants have.
Conclusion: By studying today’s wild sunflower plants on the island of Tropica, we can learn much more about that original variety of sunflower
Possible assumption: selective cultivation brought changes in farmed plants that will not allow farmed plants to be preferred for studying original plant characteristics but instead wild plants will help in this regard.
The botanist’s argument depends on which of the following assumptions?
A)There were not other varieties of sunflowers on Tropica when the settlers first arrived on the island. -- irrelevant . How does this matter
B)The wild sunflower plants on the island of Tropica today are more similar to the original variety than today’s farmed plants. -- irrelevant . It doesn't help explain uniqueness of wild plants and weakens the conclusion instead.
C)The climate on the island of Tropica has not changed significantly over the past 10,000 years.--- how does this matter. Both wild and farmed plants are affected as both have same origin. Also insufficient info
D) The selective cultivation of farmed plants over the past 10,000 years has led to few if any significant changes from the original variety.-- Correct as this matches our assumption. Negating this, conclusion falls apart
E) Some wild plants have mutated dramatically over the past 10,000 years.--- Weakens conclusion
Please post OA along with OE for better understanding.
Premise 1: All of the sunflowers on the island today, both wild and farmed, have descended from that original variety.
Premise 2: the wild plants have not been selectively cultivated over the years as the farmed plants have.
Conclusion: By studying today’s wild sunflower plants on the island of Tropica, we can learn much more about that original variety of sunflower
Possible assumption: selective cultivation brought changes in farmed plants that will not allow farmed plants to be preferred for studying original plant characteristics but instead wild plants will help in this regard.
The botanist’s argument depends on which of the following assumptions?
A)There were not other varieties of sunflowers on Tropica when the settlers first arrived on the island. -- irrelevant . How does this matter
B)The wild sunflower plants on the island of Tropica today are more similar to the original variety than today’s farmed plants. -- irrelevant . It doesn't help explain uniqueness of wild plants and weakens the conclusion instead.
C)The climate on the island of Tropica has not changed significantly over the past 10,000 years.--- how does this matter. Both wild and farmed plants are affected as both have same origin. Also insufficient info
D) The selective cultivation of farmed plants over the past 10,000 years has led to few if any significant changes from the original variety.-- Correct as this matches our assumption. Negating this, conclusion falls apart
E) Some wild plants have mutated dramatically over the past 10,000 years.--- Weakens conclusion
Please post OA along with OE for better understanding.
