Park Ranger: When snowfall levels are below average

Question

Park Ranger: When snowfall levels are below average during the winter months, scattered patches of the forest floor often remain exposed and accessible to scavenging wildlife. Because squirrels are able to collect nuts only in snow-free areas of the forest, the squirrel population tends to increase when there is below average snowfall. However, after last year’s unprecedented snow-free winter season, the squirrel population in this region was determined to be at a 20-year low.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the paradox above?

(A) When snowfall is above average, squirrel populations tend to diminish, as squirrels are unable to forage for food in snow-covered areas. 
(B) The squirrels’ spring breeding season does not begin until all of the snow in the forest has melted. 
(C) The red-tailed hawk, the squirrel’s most common predator, does not migrate south out of the forest until the first snowfall of the winter season. 
(D) Forest squirrels rarely feed on fruits and berries, preferring nuts for their higher caloric content. 
(E) The current system of estimating squirrel population size is thought to be extremely accurate in its projections.

Source - powerscore bible

vaibhav1221 · Answer

The argument suggests,
Low level of snow fall = Many squirrels search for nuts in snow free areas
No Snow fall = Low squirrel population

Logic suggests,
 Unprecedented  snow-free winter has given rise to an  unprecedented  situation (lack of food/overflow of predators)

Option C says, the squirrel’s most common predator, does not migrate south out of the forest until the first snowfall of the winter season. This means that the squirrels are available in big numbers in snow free areas of the forest (that is everywhere). They are prone to attacks by the red-tailed hawk.
hence, C explains the paradox.

shobreezy · Answer

I was between B & C:

My logic for B was “breeding season doesn’t begin until all the snow has melted”... since there was no snow to melt, there was no breeding season.

For C, although the hawk did not leave for these months, how does that explain a 20 year low!

I see the argument for both, but in my mind no breeding would lead to a more drastic delince than hawks not leaving. Can someone else comment?

jahongirnorimov · Answer

First, let’s isolate the paradox in the argument:

Fact 1:   When snowfall levels are below average during the winter months, scattered patches of
the forest floor often remain exposed and accessible to scavenging wildlife.

Fact 2:   Because squirrels are able to collect nuts only in snow-free areas of the forest, the
squirrel population tends to increase when there is below average snowfall.

Fact 3:   However, after last year’s unprecedented snow-free winter season, the squirrel
population in this region was determined to be at a 20-year low.

In this stimulus, the first fact provides context, and the second and third facts reveal the paradox.
Here, a snow-free winter has occurred (and obviously the ground would be bare) but instead of the
squirrel population increasing as expected, it appears to be at a 20-year low.

Answer choice (A):  Read closely! The stimulus discusses conditions that occur when snowfall is
below average. This answer discusses what occurs when snowfall is above average. Because this
information about a different situation than the one in the stimulus, this answer is incorrect.

Answer choice (B):  This answer addresses spring breeding season, but the stimulus is about the
winter months. Information about what occurs after the winter ends is extremely unlikely to produce
an explanation for the situation in the stimulus.

Answer choice (C):   This is the correct answer, and it can be a difficult one to correctly identify. At
first glance, information on the red-tailed hawk’s migration pattern would seem to be irrelevant to the
problem at hand. But, because the red-tailed hawk is a predator of the squirrel, this does ultimately
provide an explanation for the paradox.  If the red-tailed hawk does not migrate until the first
snowfall, and this year there was no snowfall, then the red-tailed hawk would have remained in the
area . As the squirrel’s most common predator, the hawk could have diminished the squirrel’s numbers
through hunting, providing an explanation for the 20-year low in squirrel population.

Answer choice (D):  Squirrel food preferences are not likely to resolve the paradox, and in any event
we know that the snow-free winter allowed squirrels access to more nuts.

Answer choice (E):  Although this answer provides initial hope for an explanation of the situation, by
stating that the projections are accurate, this answer does provide any further insight into the paradox,
and is thus incorrect.

mrfrantic · Answer

I'm trying to wrap my head around this answer. If there's a below average snowfall, then the 2nd fact says squirrel's population increases as they are able to collect nuts in snow free areas. At the same, red-tailed hawks do not migrate to other area when there's a below average snowfall. This means red-tailed hawks also have squirrels to hunt down at that time. But if they are hunting down squirrels, then how the population of squirrel increasing? Are we supposed to assume the rate at which squirrels are being hunted by red-tailed hawks is relatively slower compared to rate of population growth of squirrels?

KarishmaB  can you help?

KarishmaB · Answer

I'm trying to wrap my head around this answer. If there's a below average snowfall, then the 2nd fact says squirrel's population increases as they are able to collect nuts in snow free areas. At the same, red-tailed hawks do not migrate to other area when there's a below average snowfall. This means red-tailed hawks also have squirrels to hunt down at that time. But if they are hunting down squirrels, then how the population of squirrel increasing? Are we supposed to assume the rate at which squirrels are being hunted by red-tailed hawks is relatively slower compared to rate of population growth of squirrels?

KarishmaB  can you help?

Two different things - "below average snow in winter" and "snow free winter season - no snow"

When snow is less, the hawks still migrate at first snow but there are more snow free areas in the forest. Squirrels proliferate.

When there is no snow, the hawk does not migrate at all. Since the predator does not go away, the number of squirrels fall.

Makes sense?

mrfrantic · Answer

Thank you! Now I understood.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Park Ranger: When snowfall levels are below average

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Park Ranger: When snowfall levels are below average

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