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Certain groups of Asian snails include both left-handed and right-h
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22 Apr 2023, 21:49
22 Apr 2023, 21:49
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Expert Reply
GMATmona07 wrote:
AjiteshArun GMATNinja @MagooshExpert@GMATGuruNY
Will you please help explaining why C is incorrect & E is correct?
IMO C eliminates one additional cause of left handed snail evolution & should be the right answer strengthening the fact that asymmetrical jaws of snakes give rise to the evolution of left handed snails , while E presents an already stated fact in the argument.
Also in other strengthen questions we generally eliminate the premise statement if available in the answer choices.
So what is the exception here?
Will you please help explaining why C is incorrect & E is correct?
IMO C eliminates one additional cause of left handed snail evolution & should be the right answer strengthening the fact that asymmetrical jaws of snakes give rise to the evolution of left handed snails , while E presents an already stated fact in the argument.
Also in other strengthen questions we generally eliminate the premise statement if available in the answer choices.
So what is the exception here?
Hi GMATmona07,
Generally, we wouldn't expect an option that restates a claim to be the correct option. However, we need to be careful here. We must take into account the strength of the original statement and the differences between the original statement and the statement that we think restates the original. For example:
1. Einstein's theory predicted that X would do Y.
2. Researchers have found that X does Y.
There's some overlap between statements (1) and (2), but (2) does not actually restate (1). Einstein's theory (its prediction) is not correct just because it's Einstein's, so if we wanted to strengthen Einstein's theory, statement (2) would be acceptable as an answer (unless there's a better option in the set of 5 options).
The question gives us this piece of information:
Bunuel wrote:
Also, researchers found that snail-eating snakes in the same habitat have asymmetrical jaws, allowing them to grasp right-handed snail shells more easily.
The next statement is:
Bunuel wrote:
If these snakes ate more right-handed snails over time, this would have given left-handed snails an evolutionary advantage over right-handed snails, with the left-handed snails eventually becoming a new species.
There's a small gap between "grasp" and "ate". It's this small gap that option E addresses.
Bunuel wrote:
E. Experiments show that the snail-eating snakes in this habitat fail more often in trying to eat left-handed snails than in trying to eat right-handed snails.
Sure, RH snails are easier to grasp, but does that mean that LH snails are harder to eat? Option E tells us that snail-eating snakes in this habitat do indeed fail more often in trying to eat LH snails. The argument used a conditional ("If these snakes ate more right-handed snails over time..."). Option E gives us a reason to think that they did (because they fail more often in trying to eat LH snails).
Re: Certain groups of Asian snails include both left-handed and right-h
[#permalink]
09 Aug 2023, 19:42
09 Aug 2023, 19:42
GMATmona07 wrote:
AjiteshArun GMATNinja @MagooshExpert@GMATGuruNY
Will you please help explaining why C is incorrect & E is correct?
IMO C eliminates one additional cause of left handed snail evolution & should be the right answer strengthening the fact that asymmetrical jaws of snakes give rise to the evolution of left handed snails , while E presents an already stated fact in the argument.
Also in other strengthen questions we generally eliminate the premise statement if available in the answer choices.
So what is the exception here?
Will you please help explaining why C is incorrect & E is correct?
IMO C eliminates one additional cause of left handed snail evolution & should be the right answer strengthening the fact that asymmetrical jaws of snakes give rise to the evolution of left handed snails , while E presents an already stated fact in the argument.
Also in other strengthen questions we generally eliminate the premise statement if available in the answer choices.
So what is the exception here?
If these snakes ate more right-handed snails over time, this would have given left-handed snails an evolutionary advantage over right-handed snails
This is a conditional statement, that only if A then B.
Choice E is the first part of the conditional, hence B must be correct.
This is also called Modus Ponen in Logic.
Certain groups of Asian snails include both left-handed and right-h
[#permalink]
29 Mar 2024, 05:36
29 Mar 2024, 05:36
1
Kudos
Expert Reply
Bunuel wrote:
Certain groups of Asian snails include both “left-handed” and “right-handed” species, with shells coiling to the left and right, respectively. Some left-handed species have evolved from right-handed ones. Also, researchers found that snail-eating snakes in the same habitat have asymmetrical jaws, allowing them to grasp right-handed snail shells more easily. If these snakes ate more right-handed snails over time, this would have given left-handed snails an evolutionary advantage over right-handed snails, with the left-handed snails eventually becoming a new species. Thus, the snakes' asymmetrical jaws probably helped drive the emergence of the left-handed snail species.
Which of the following would, if true, most strengthen the argument that asymmetrical snake jaws helped drive left-handed snail evolution?
A. In one snake species, the snakes with asymmetrical jaws eat snails, while the snakes with symmetrical jaws do not eat snails.
B. Some species of Asian snails contain either all right-handed snails, or all left-handed snails.
C. Anatomical differences prevent left-handed snails from mating easily with right-handed snails.
D. Some right-handed snails in this habitat have shells with a very narrow opening that helps prevent snakes from extracting the snails from inside their shells.
E. Experiments show that the snail-eating snakes in this habitat fail more often in trying to eat left-handed snails than in trying to eat right-handed snails.
CR32441.01
OG2020 NEW QUESTION
Which of the following would, if true, most strengthen the argument that asymmetrical snake jaws helped drive left-handed snail evolution?
A. In one snake species, the snakes with asymmetrical jaws eat snails, while the snakes with symmetrical jaws do not eat snails.
B. Some species of Asian snails contain either all right-handed snails, or all left-handed snails.
C. Anatomical differences prevent left-handed snails from mating easily with right-handed snails.
D. Some right-handed snails in this habitat have shells with a very narrow opening that helps prevent snakes from extracting the snails from inside their shells.
E. Experiments show that the snail-eating snakes in this habitat fail more often in trying to eat left-handed snails than in trying to eat right-handed snails.
CR32441.01
OG2020 NEW QUESTION
Premises:
Snail-eating snakes have asymmetrical jaws, allowing them to grasp right-handed snail shells more easily.
If these snakes ate more right-handed snails over time, this would have given left-handed snails an evolutionary advantage ...
Conclusion:
Thus, the snakes' asymmetrical jaws probably helped drive the emergence of the left-handed snail species.
The premises tell us that Snail-eating snakes have asymmetrical jaws so they GRASP right-handed snail shells more easily. So do they end up eating right-handed snail shells more easily, we are not really given. We are given that "if" these snakes ate more right-handed snails over time, then left-handed snails would have an advantage.
Based on this we are concluding that snakes' asymmetrical jaws probably helped drive the emergence of the left-handed snail species.
What will help strengthen it?
A. In one snake species, the snakes with asymmetrical jaws eat snails, while the snakes with symmetrical jaws do not eat snails.
We know from the argument itself that in at least some snake species, snail-eating snakes have asymmetrical jaws. This deserves mention only if normal snakes (non snail eating) do not have asymmetrical jaws.
B. Some species of Asian snails contain either all right-handed snails, or all left-handed snails.
Irrelevant. We want to strengthen that snakes' asymmetrical jaws probably helped drive the emergence of the left-handed snail species.
C. Anatomical differences prevent left-handed snails from mating easily with right-handed snails.
Irrelevant. We want to strengthen that snakes' asymmetrical jaws probably helped drive the emergence of the left-handed snail species.
D. Some right-handed snails in this habitat have shells with a very narrow opening that helps prevent snakes from extracting the snails from inside their shells.
This says that snakes cannot eat some right handed snails.
We want to strengthen the opposite case - that snakes' asymmetrical jaws helped them eat more of the right handed snail.
Hence it does not strengthen the conclusion.
E. Experiments show that the snail-eating snakes in this habitat fail more often in trying to eat left-handed snails than in trying to eat right-handed snails.
We already know that snakes are able to grasp right handed snails more easily. This option further tells us that snakes are more successful in eating right handed snails. Hence this condition "If these snakes ate more right-handed snails over time" is likely met. Hence, left-handed snails probably had an evolutionary advantage due to the snakes' asymmetrical jaws. We have strengthened our conclusion.
Answer (E)
Check another strengthen question discussion here:
https://youtu.be/mB8bm_a4GNk
