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B.In 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in Lake Hoffman.
D.At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass.


IMO its B. In 2004 the storm waters entered Pacific Carp.

Even if we assume sand trout were more than smallmouth bass at some point (it may be 2003,2002) , still we cant figure why Lake has more sandtrout than any other fish.
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siliconbeach
Since 2004, when storm waters introduced Pacific carp to Hoffman Lake, the lake’s population of smallmouth bass has decreased by nearly one third. In the same time period, the lake’s population of sand trout has decreased by approximately 40%. Still, Hoffman Lake is home to more sand trout than to any other type of fish.

Which of the following must be true on the basis of the statements above?
A.If plans to remove Pacific carp from Lake Hoffman are successful, the population of smallmouth bass and sand trout will increase.
There is an uncertainty if they will breed or not, there could be an assumption that someone brings it from another place and place them to the Hoffman Lake.
Can be True - Contender

B.In 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in Lake Hoffman.
Too strong to say any other type of fish - loser

C.Pacific carp are a natural predator of sand trout and smallmouth bass.
We can only assume that Pacific carp are a natural predator, may be it is infectious. - loser

D.At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass.
CORRECT ANSWER. basic maths. even when the decrease percent is greater still the quantity is greater..

E.If trends are to continue, Pacific carp will one day be the most numerous fish in Hoffman Lake.
This is the future effect and we can not be sure, may be some one takes the precaution, before this thing happens.
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Since 2004, when storm waters introduced Pacific carp to Hoffman Lake, the lake’s population of smallmouth bass has decreased by nearly one third.......... SMB reduced by 1/3 i.e., 2/3(SB) exists now.

In the same time period, the lake’s population of sand trout has decreased by approximately 40%............................................ST reduced by 40% i.e., 3/5(ST) exists now

Still, Hoffman Lake is home to more sand trout than to any other type of fish.....i.e., 3/5 ST > 2/3 SB

ST>10/9 SB...............ST>SB........must be true at atleast one time

Which of the following must be true on the basis of the statements above?

A. If plans to remove Pacific carp from Lake Hoffman are successful, the population of smallmouth bass and sand trout will increase.............We cannot infer this info this is new information

B. In 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in Lake Hoffman.............It is evident that now ST is more in quantity than any other fish but before we cannot assure the same. It is possible that the population can increase in between time period.

C. Pacific carp are a natural predator of sand trout and smallmouth bass...............there is no such info. Even other fish population reduced after introducing carp, PC need not be its predator instead it can be of same kind and feeds on same food that other fish eat. Thus reduction in food may result in reduction in population.

D. At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass.........This is in line with our pre-reasoning.

E. If trends are to continue, Pacific carp will one day be the most numerous fish in Hoffman Lake.............we cannot make any such prediction.
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Nevernevergiveup
Since 2004, when storm waters introduced Pacific carp to Hoffman Lake, the lake’s population of smallmouth bass has decreased by nearly one third.......... SMB reduced by 1/3 i.e., 2/3(SB) exists now.

In the same time period, the lake’s population of sand trout has decreased by approximately 40%............................................ST reduced by 40% i.e., 3/5(ST) exists now

Still, Hoffman Lake is home to more sand trout than to any other type of fish.....i.e., 3/5 ST > 2/3 SB

ST>10/9 SB...............ST>SB........must be true at atleast one time

Which of the following must be true on the basis of the statements above?

A. If plans to remove Pacific carp from Lake Hoffman are successful, the population of smallmouth bass and sand trout will increase.............We cannot infer this info this is new information

B. In 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in Lake Hoffman.............It is evident that now ST is more in quantity than any other fish but before we cannot assure the same. It is possible that the population can increase in between time period.

C. Pacific carp are a natural predator of sand trout and smallmouth bass...............there is no such info. Even other fish population reduced after introducing carp, PC need not be its predator instead it can be of same kind and feeds on same food that other fish eat. Thus reduction in food may result in reduction in population.

D. At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass.........This is in line with our pre-reasoning.

E. If trends are to continue, Pacific carp will one day be the most numerous fish in Hoffman Lake.............we cannot make any such prediction.

Option D starts with 'at some point'. I would think this refers to a phenomenon in the past that is no longer true. But the CR passage ends with 'Still, Hoffman Lake is home to more sand trout than to any other type of fish.' indicating that this phenomenon is in fact true as of today. If something is true right now, wouldn't it be absurd to ask if it was true at some point?
I elimintaed D because of this logic and chose B instead. (I wasn't fully convinced with B, but it felt like the most reasonable choice)
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SanyamGupta
Nevernevergiveup
Since 2004, when storm waters introduced Pacific carp to Hoffman Lake, the lake’s population of smallmouth bass has decreased by nearly one third.......... SMB reduced by 1/3 i.e., 2/3(SB) exists now.

In the same time period, the lake’s population of sand trout has decreased by approximately 40%............................................ST reduced by 40% i.e., 3/5(ST) exists now

Still, Hoffman Lake is home to more sand trout than to any other type of fish.....i.e., 3/5 ST > 2/3 SB

ST>10/9 SB...............ST>SB........must be true at atleast one time

Which of the following must be true on the basis of the statements above?

A. If plans to remove Pacific carp from Lake Hoffman are successful, the population of smallmouth bass and sand trout will increase.............We cannot infer this info this is new information

B. In 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in Lake Hoffman.............It is evident that now ST is more in quantity than any other fish but before we cannot assure the same. It is possible that the population can increase in between time period.

C. Pacific carp are a natural predator of sand trout and smallmouth bass...............there is no such info. Even other fish population reduced after introducing carp, PC need not be its predator instead it can be of same kind and feeds on same food that other fish eat. Thus reduction in food may result in reduction in population.

D. At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass.........This is in line with our pre-reasoning.

E. If trends are to continue, Pacific carp will one day be the most numerous fish in Hoffman Lake.............we cannot make any such prediction.

Option D starts with 'at some point'. I would think this refers to a phenomenon in the past that is no longer true. But the CR passage ends with 'Still, Hoffman Lake is home to more sand trout than to any other type of fish.' indicating that this phenomenon is in fact true as of today. If something is true right now, wouldn't it be absurd to ask if it was true at some point?
I elimintaed D because of this logic and chose B instead. (I wasn't fully convinced with B, but it felt like the most reasonable choice)

SanyamGupta : B is also not logical.
In 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in Lake Hoffman.. key is in 2004, we only know situation after 2004 (since 2004 something was introduced and current result is this), we don't know what happened before that.

D. At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass.

we can surely arrive at that. it is still true but can we refute this : that - At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass. No, right? it's always true. that's what we are looking for. Can we say - there is no point in past when there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass. No we can't conclude that from given premises.
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How does D state that ST were more in number than any other type of fish in the Lake. D compares ST with SB and we dont know what is the position of SB in terms of fish population. what if the number of SB were low? For this reason I chose B. Can anyone help?
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How does D state that ST were more in number than any other type of fish in the Lake. D compares ST with SB and we dont know what is the position of SB in terms of fish population. what if the number of SB were low? For this reason I chose B. Can anyone help?
D doesn't state that there are more ST than any other fish. It just purports that at some point the following equation was valid: number of ST > number of SB

Quote:
(D) At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass.

If at one point the number of ST was the biggest of all fish in the river we can definitely conclude that the mentioned equation is valid.

Does that make sense? :-)
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Veritas Prep Official Solution:

D. If you follow the mathematical logic of the stimulus, you can see that the remaining 60% of sand trout is a greater number than the remaining 67% of smallmouth bass, or:

.6T > .67B (where T stands for the original number of Trout and B stands for the original number of Bass)

This means that T > B, proving that at some point (right around 2004) there were more sand trout than smallmouth bass. Beware of the other answer choices, which are not necessarily true. For A and C, you do not know that the carp were the reason for the decrease in the population of the other fish; it could have been other elements of that storm. For B, you don't know whether other types of fish were even more numerous but suffered a greater decrease. And for E, you don't know at all that the population of carp is increasing.
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VeritasKarishma Can you pls help with option D? It says at some point 'sandtrout more than..' whereas the question says 'Still, Hoffman Lake is home to more sand trout than to any other type of fish.'

Isnt that inconsistent or am I missing something?
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siliconbeach
Since 2004, when storm waters introduced Pacific carp to Hoffman Lake, the lake’s population of smallmouth bass has decreased by nearly one third. In the same time period, the lake’s population of sand trout has decreased by approximately 40%. Still, Hoffman Lake is home to more sand trout than to any other type of fish.

Which of the following must be true on the basis of the statements above?

(A) If plans to remove Pacific carp from Lake Hoffman are successful, the population of smallmouth bass and sand trout will increase.

(B) In 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in Lake Hoffman.

(C) Pacific carp are a natural predator of sand trout and smallmouth bass.

(D) At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass.

(E) If trends are to continue, Pacific carp will one day be the most numerous fish in Hoffman Lake.

It is a must be true question so there should be no new information in the correct option.
The argument tells us that since 2004, the pop of smallmouth has decreased by 1/3 (33%) while pop of sand trout has decreased by 40% (more than 33%). Still sand trout is the most populous. So this means even in 2004, pop of sand trout was more than that of smallmouth.
So it is true that at some point in the past too, there were more sand trout than smallmouth.
This is option (D)
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Even though smallmouth bass have reduced by 1/3rds and sand trout have reduced by 40%, if the lake is still more home to sand trout then wouldn't Option d be wrong as sand trout have always been more in number as compared to smallmouth bass.This makes option b the answer.
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Mahek623
Even though smallmouth bass have reduced by 1/3rds and sand trout have reduced by 40%, if the lake is still more home to sand trout then wouldn't Option d be wrong as sand trout have always been more in number as compared to smallmouth bass.This makes option b the answer.

Hi Mahek

As per the stimulus:

60% of (2004 sand trout) > 67% (2004 smallmouth bass) [and any other current fish population]

From this, the only conclusion we can draw is that in 2004, the number of sand trout was greater than the number of smallmouth bass. We cannot say anything about the past relative populations of any other fish since we do not know how those fish's populations have changed since 2004.

Option (B) states: In 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in Lake Hoffman.

As stated above, we cannot be certain of this. Despite a 40% decrease, sand trout have the largest population today. It is possible that in 2004, some other fish was greater in numbers and has been more severely impacted by the introduction of Pacific carp to Hoffman Lake than the sand trout. Hence this is not the correct answer.

You are partially right that sand trout have been more in number than smallmouth bass, but we can only be certain of this relationship in 2004 and today. We cannot say that they have always been greater in number. Even so, option (D), which states that, "At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass" is correct since we know this to be true in 2004, which is "some point".

Hope this clarifies.
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siliconbeach
Since 2004, when storm waters introduced Pacific carp to Hoffman Lake, the lake’s population of smallmouth bass has decreased by nearly one third. In the same time period, the lake’s population of sand trout has decreased by approximately 40%. Still, Hoffman Lake is home to more sand trout than to any other type of fish.

Which of the following must be true on the basis of the statements above?

(A) If plans to remove Pacific carp from Lake Hoffman are successful, the population of smallmouth bass and sand trout will increase.

(B) In 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in Lake Hoffman.

(C) Pacific carp are a natural predator of sand trout and smallmouth bass.

(D) At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass.

(E) If trends are to continue, Pacific carp will one day be the most numerous fish in Hoffman Lake.

Notice something about this question. We know the question is dealing with the fact that sand trout has been the most numerous type of fish. One way to get to the correct answer, is as has been shown, that .6t> .67B, so t>B sure this is true. However if a person was stuck between B and D, notice

If we were to choose B, "in 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in lake hoffman" then D would still be true " at some point there were more sand trout in lake hoffman than small mouth bass" This means that D is the more general answer. Almost always when this happens, the more general answer will be the correct choice
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the word still is everything in this question lol , you miss it , its gone!
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(D) correct choice
Think about it in % terms, Bass decreased by about 33% and Sand Trout decreased by 40%.
After the decrease, the population of Sant Trout is is higher than that of Bass.
This means that before the decrease occurred, the population of Sant Trout must have been higher than that of
Bass.

Case 1 numbers are equal then Sant Trout population now is lower than Bass
Case 2 B>ST before decrease then Sand Trout population is much lower than Bass
Case 3 ST>B before decrease than it's possible that ST still has more for example,
before the decrease S= 200, B=100 => after the decrease, S=120, B=77
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siliconbeach
Since 2004, when storm waters introduced Pacific carp to Hoffman Lake, the lake’s population of smallmouth bass has decreased by nearly one third. In the same time period, the lake’s population of sand trout has decreased by approximately 40%. Still, Hoffman Lake is home to more sand trout than to any other type of fish.

Which of the following must be true on the basis of the statements above?

(A) If plans to remove Pacific carp from Lake Hoffman are successful, the population of smallmouth bass and sand trout will increase.

(B) In 2004, there were more sand trout than any other type of fish in Lake Hoffman.

(C) Pacific carp are a natural predator of sand trout and smallmouth bass.

(D) At some point there were more sand trout in Lake Hoffman than smallmouth bass.

(E) If trends are to continue, Pacific carp will one day be the most numerous fish in Hoffman Lake.

A, C and E - no proof present - out
B - uses ‘in 2004’ vs ‘since 2004’ (in argument). It is possible that in the beginning of 2004, some other fish was numerous - out
D - possible as per the conclusion
Hence D.

Hope it helps :)
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I think this question is poor since the word "still" in the last sentence has the meaning (from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary):
Quote:
continuing until a particular point in time and not finishing
which indicates that sand trout had always been the most one in this lake from the beginning.
So, B is right IMO.
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