KarishmaB MartyMurray GMATNinjaPlease provide feedback on my answer including the reasons to eliminate wrong ones. Thank You so much!
In 1960’s studies of rats, scientists found that crowding increases the number of attacks among the animals significantly. But in recent experiments in which rhesus monkeys were placed in crowded conditions, although there was an increase in instances of “coping” behavior—such as submissive gestures and avoidance of dominant individuals—attacks did not become any more frequent. Therefore it is not likely that, for any species of monkey, crowding increases aggression as significantly as was seen in rats.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
(A) All the observed forms of coping behavior can be found among rhesus monkeys living in uncrowded conditions.
The conclusion is about any species. This answer choice is narrow (applies to RH monkeys).
In addition, if RH shows coping mechanisms similar to those in uncrowded conditions, the answer choice does nothing to the argument. (B) In the studies of rats, non-dominant individuals were found to increasingly avoid dominant individuals when the animals were in crowded conditions.
This choice talks about rats. The conclusion to be strengthened is for any species of monkeys. Irrelevant.(C) Rhesus monkeys respond with aggression to a wider range of stimuli than any other monkeys do.
Keep this and come back.
OK, now - As compared to other monkey species, if RH is aggressive in a wider range of scenarios and yet its aggression did not increase in crowded conditions, this means that the other monkeys won’t likely have a significant increase in aggression either. Strengthens. CORRECT(D) Some individual monkeys in the experiment were involved in significantly more attacks than the other monkeys were.
Weakens the conclusion.
(E) Some of the coping behavior displayed by rhesus monkeys is similar to behavior rhesus monkeys use to bring to an end an attack that has begun.
Weakens the conclusion.