Lydia: Red squirrels are known to make holes in the bark of

Question

Lydia: Red squirrels are known to make holes in the bark of sugar maple trees and to consume the trees’ sap. Since sugar maple sap is essentially water with a small concentration of sugar, the squirrels almost certainly are after either water or sugar. Water is easily available from other sources in places where maple trees grow, so the squirrels would not go to the trouble of chewing holes in trees just to get water. Therefore, they are probably after the sugar.

Galina: It must be something other than sugar, because the concentration of sugar in the maple sap is so low that a squirrel would need to drink an enormous amount of sap to get any significant amount of sugar.

Which one of the following, if true, most undermines the force of Galina’s attempted rebuttal of Lydia’s argument?

(A) Squirrels are known to like foods that have a high concentration of sugar.

(B) Once a hole in a sugar maple trunk has provided one red squirrel with sap, other red squirrels will make additional holes in its trunk.

(C) Trees other than sugar maples, whose sap contains a lower concentration of sugar than does sugar maple sap, are less frequently tapped by red squirrels.

(D) Red squirrels leave the sugar maple sap that slowly oozes out of the holes in the tree’s trunk until much of the water in the sap has evaporated.

(E) During the season when sap can be obtained from sugar maple trees, the weather often becomes cold enough to prevent sap from oozing out of the trees.

vikasshetty · Answer

Why D and not C since the question mentions the terms almost and option c involves less frequently?

KarishmaB · Answer

Option (D) is certainly better than (C).

Regarding (C), we do not know how these other trees compare in aspects other than sugar concentration in sap. They could be harder to tap (harder wood, say) because of which they are tapped less frequently. The point is that there could be many other reasons why they tap other trees less frequently.

(D) tells us that they let the sugar concentrate so the objection that sugar concentration is very low goes for a toss. Then they could be tapping for sugar.

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VishnuS12 · Answer

In this question, we are trying to undermine the argument provided by Galina.
Who is basically saying that squirrels are after something other than sugar, because the concentration of sugar in the maple sap is so low that a squirrel would need to drink an enormous amount of sap to get any significant amount of sugar.

Let's look into answer choices:

(A) Squirrels are known to like foods that have a high concentration of sugar. - If this is true, then we will be strengthening galina's argument that squirrels are in fact looking for something else as the concentration of sugar is low.

(B) Once a hole in a sugar maple trunk has provided one red squirrel with sap, other red squirrels will make additional holes in its trunk. - This is irrelevant. We are discussing the cause/reason for squirrels to consume the trees’ sap

(C) Trees other than sugar maples, whose sap contains a lower concentration of sugar than does sugar maple sap, are less frequently tapped by red squirrels. -This is also irrelevant. Even if other tree has sugar concentration lower than sugar maple sap, sugar maple's sap might have just enough concentration for squirrels to get attracted to or might not have just enough concentration we don't know so this neither weakens nor strengthens the argument.

(D) Red squirrels leave the sugar maple sap that slowly oozes out of the holes in the tree’s trunk until much of the water in the sap has evaporated.   -So choice clearly undermines galina's argument by saying squirrels don't have to drink enormous amounts of sap they can wait for the water to evaporate and consume concentrated sugar residual.

(E) During the season when sap can be obtained from sugar maple trees, the weather often becomes cold enough to prevent sap from oozing out of the trees. - Irrelevant. We are discussing why squirrels like to consume sugar maple sap. We are not concerned about behaviour of say during a particular season.

unraveled · Answer

Hey vikasshetty,
I too chose C over D; rest were not making sense. After that introspected a little and will try to explain the answer your question. 
The highlighted text is conclusion. Blue ones are giving direction to the flow of the passage. Pink one is claim(underlined) against Lydia's argument. 
So, we need to find the choice that makes Galina's argument(which says that there must be some other reason for squirrels chewing holes in the bark; why so, Galina gives a reason) look ineffective against Lydia's.

Lydia: Red squirrels are known to make holes in the bark of sugar maple trees and to consume the trees’ sap.  Since  sugar maple sap is essentially water with a small concentration of sugar, the squirrels almost certainly are after either water or sugar. Water is easily available from other sources in places where maple trees grow,  so  the squirrels would not go to the trouble of chewing holes in trees just to get water.  Therefore, they are probably after the sugar.

Galina: It  must  be something  other than sugar ,  because  the concentration of sugar in the maple sap is so low that a squirrel would need to drink an enormous amount of sap to get any significant amount of sugar.

Which one of the following, if true, most undermines the force of Galina’s attempted rebuttal of Lydia’s argument?

(A) Squirrels are known to  like foods that have a high concentration of sugar . - WRONG. A liking of squirrels is not affecting the argument of either.

(B) Once a hole in a sugar maple trunk has provided one red squirrel with sap,  other red squirrels will make additional holes in its trunk . - WRONG. As bland as it can get. Nothing about what squirrels are after.

(C) Trees other than sugar maples, whose sap contains a lower concentration of sugar than does sugar maple sap,  are less frequently tapped by red squirrels . - WRONG. Nothing wrong as such but this rather supports Lydia's argument(i.e. squirrels are after sugar) than weaken Galina's argument.

(D) Red squirrels  leave the sugar maple sap  that slowly oozes out of the holes in the tree’s trunk  until much of the water in the sap has evaporated . - CORRECT. If water evaporates then concentration of sugar increases. Hmm, smart way. Squirrels do this intentionally to get sugar only.

(E) During the season when sap can be obtained from sugar maple trees,  the weather often becomes cold enough to prevent sap from oozing out of the trees . - WRONG. Yes, but doesn't help. In a way like B only.

HTHs.

Answer D.

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Lydia: Red squirrels are known to make holes in the bark of

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