BhavyaKamana wrote:
Entomologist: Beginning around 2006, many honeybee colonies started dying mysteriously, a condition known as colony collapse disorder. Bee autopsies revealed a virus called IAPV in almost all colonies with symptoms of colony collapse disorder, but in only one apparently healthy colony. Thus, IAPV must be the cause of the disorder.
In order to assess the strength of the entomologist's argument, it would be most helpful to know which of the following?
(A) Whether the apparently healthy colony infected with IAPV was also infected with any other viruses
(B) By what means IAPV has been spreading between honeybee colonies since 2006
(C) To what extent symptoms associated with colony collapse disorder make honeybee colonies more susceptible to infection by IAPV
(D) Whether scientists are able to detect IAPV in honeybee colonies with symptoms of colony collapse disorder without conducting bee autopsies
(E) Which symptoms of colony collapse disorder were observed among the colonies in which IAPV was detected
This is an evaluate type of question. The conclusion of the argument is "
IAPV must be the cause of the disorder"
Inference: In concluding that IAPV is the cause of the disorder, the Entomologist must have assumed that no other factors were at play, including the fact that a colony with 'colony collapse disorder' is not more susceptible to contract the virus, i.e. there was no reverse causality.
Answer choice elimination(A) Whether the apparently healthy colony infected with IAPV was also infected with any other virusesWe have to find an option that on one extreme supports the conclusion that IAPV was responsible for 'colony collapse disorder' and on the other extreme weakens the conclusion. This option does neither. Knowing whether other viruses were present in the healthy colony doesn't help us conclude anything substantial. Even if other viruses were present in the healthy colony, we have no information if such viruses were presented in all other colonies in which IAPV was detected. Hence, we can neither substantiate nor rule out the possibility that the colony collapse disorder was caused by IAPV virus. We can eliminate this option.
(B) By what means IAPV has been spreading between honeybee colonies since 2006This option is out of scope. We are trying to evaluate a statement that will help strengthen the conclusion. The rate of spread of the virus cannot guarantee that the disorder was caused by the virus. It is a good possibility that the virus, regardless of how soon it spreads, is not harmful to the bees. Hence, the presence of the virus and the occurrence of colony collapse disorder can be merely be a correlation and not causation. The information provided by this option doesn't provide much ground to support or reject the conclusion.
Hence, we can rule out this option.
(C) To what extent symptoms associated with colony collapse disorder make honeybee colonies more susceptible to infection by IAPVThis is a good one.
Let's assume that colony collapse disorder makes honeybee colonies more susceptible to infection by IAPV → In this case, we cannot conclude that "IAPV must be the cause of the disorder", maybe something else was responsible for colony collapse disorder. In fact, the disorder caused the bees to contract the IAPV virus. Hence, in this extreme, the possibility weakens the conclusion.
On the other hand, if colony collapse disorder does not make honeybee colonies more susceptible to infection by IAPV → We can conclude that probably, the IAPV virus must have caused the disorder. In this extreme, the possibility strengthens the conclusion.
We can keep this option.
(D) Whether scientists are able to detect IAPV in honeybee colonies with symptoms of colony collapse disorder without conducting bee autopsiesAgain, out of scope. How the viruses are detected is not the point of contention here. Hence, we can rule out this option.
(E) Which symptoms of colony collapse disorder were observed among the colonies in which IAPV was detectedDo we really care about which symptoms were observed? The conclusion as mentioned in the last line of the argument is "
IAPV must be the cause of the disorder. ". Whether the bee colonies in which IAPV was detected display none, one, or all symptoms of colony collapse disorder doesn't help us evaluate the conclusion.
Hence, we can eliminate this option.
Option C