Elk were once found in the East, from Georgia north to New York and Co

Question

Elk were once found in the East, from Georgia north to New York and Connecticut. By the time of the Civil War, hunting and habitat destruction had caused their extinction in most eastern states. All of the eastern subspecies are now extinct. Elk County, Pennsylvania, was without elk for more than a century.

At the beginning of the 20th century, herds of elk in the Rocky Mountains faced death by starvation as encroaching farms depleted their winter feeding grounds, and finally the government decided to intercede. The elk were gathered up from Yellowstone National Park and 50 of them were shipped to Pennsylvania.

At that early date, 1913, there was little understanding of the kind of acclimatization required when moving large animals from one habitat to another. The elk were released from cattle cars and chased into the wild to fend for themselves. Two years later, 95 more elk were moved from Yellowstone to Pennsylvania.

The elk tended to move toward farming areas because that was where the food was. Although they were protected, their destruction of farmland caused farmers to poach them illegally. In a 1971 survey, researchers found about 65 animals. Intensive work by the Bureau of Forestry to improve elk habitat, especially through reclamation of old strip mines, brought those numbers up to 135 by the early 1980s. By the year 2000, there were more than 500 elk in Pennsylvania, including many in Elk County.

In 1984, hunters established the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, whose mission is to reintroduce elk in the states where they once roamed. At present, new herds are established in Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin, in addition to Pennsylvania. There is talk of moving herds to Tennessee and to the Adirondack range in New York. It seems fairly clear that improving habitat for elk reintroduction improves conditions for other wildlife—wild turkey, whitetail deer, and black bear, among others.

Unlike in the 1910s, today reintroduction is vastly improved—far more closely monitored and controlled. Animals are checked for disease. Land trusts are used to preserve habitat and to keep the elk from moving too close to cropland.    1 
 1. According to this passage, a major early threat to elk populations was

(A) wolves and cougars
(B) vehicular traffic
(C) disease
(D) hunting
(E) introduction of new species

2 
 2. Based on information in the passage, about how many elk were moved from Yellowstone to Pennsylvania in the mid-1910s?

(A) 65
(B) 95
(C) 135
(D) 145
(E) 250

3 
 3. According to the passage, where might you see elk today?

(A) The Tennessee Valley
(B) Georgia
(C) The Adirondacks
(D) Arkansas
(E) Ohio

4 
 4. According to the passage, what is true of the elk in Pennsylvania today?

(A) They are the same as the elk who lived there 200 years ago.
(B) They are a different subspecies from the old Pennsylvania elk.
(C) They are a different subspecies from the elk found in the Rockies.
(D) They are only distantly related to the elk found in Yellowstone.
(E) They are closely related to northern European reindeer.

5 
 5. The passage claims that

(A) reclamation of land is a bad idea
(B) hunters have ulterior motives for reintroducing elk
(C) species reintroduction has improved over time
(D) elk reintroduction may be doomed to failure
(E) moose should be the next species to be reintroduced

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 189 Date: 13-Jun-2023
 This question is part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

Ruchi007 · Answer

Sajjad1994  Why is the answer to #2 not 95?

Kartikey1622 · Answer

They moved 50 as mentioned in the 2nd para and a further 95 mentioned in the 3rd para. So 145 is the answer.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. Based on information in the passage, about how many elk were moved from Yellowstone to Pennsylvania in the mid-1910s?

Explanation

The passage mentions that in 1913, 50 elk were shipped from Yellowstone National Park to Pennsylvania. Two years later, an additional 95 elk were moved from Yellowstone to Pennsylvania. Therefore, the total number of elk moved from Yellowstone to Pennsylvania in the mid-1910s is the sum of these two figures: 50 + 95 = 145.

Answer: D

Elk were once found in the East, from Georgia north to New York and Co

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Elk were once found in the East, from Georgia north to New York and Co

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

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From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards