The female earless seal has a gestation period that usually spans nine

Question

The female earless seal has a gestation period that usually spans nine to eleven months, depending on the classification. Each female carries and gives birth to and nurses only one pup at a time. The mother fasts while she is nursing the pup, due to the distance between the breeding ground and the area where the seals feed. As a result, the earless seal mother burns a considerable amount of energy during lactation. During a bad season, as many as three earless seal mothers in a colony will die around three months after giving birth. It is not uncommon, however, for all of the seal pups to survive.

Which of the following, if true, most explains the discrepancy between the number of deaths among the earless seal mothers and lack of deaths among the pups during a bad season?

(A) Female earless seals can nurse two pups at a time, thus ensuring that at least two pups will live.

(B) During a good season, no female earless seals die, and marine biologists note that there have been more good seasons than bad in recent years.

(C) Some of the female earless seals do not give birth during breeding season.

(D) The earless seal pups nurse only for a brief period of time, with the longest nursing period being one month.

(E) Some of the female earless seals will live as long as six months after giving birth, thus guaranteeing that their pups have a better chance of survival.

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kingbucky · Answer

Let’s analyze which statement explains the discrepancy between earless seal mothers dying during a bad season while their pups survive.

The passage notes that in a bad season, some mother seals die around three months after giving birth, yet all pups typically survive, creating a paradox to resolve.

Question:  Which of the following, if true, most explains the discrepancy between the number of deaths among the earless seal mothers and lack of deaths among the pups during a bad season?

(A) Female earless seals can nurse two pups at a time, thus ensuring that at least two pups will live.  
  Explanation: The passage states each female nurses only one pup at a time, contradicting this option. Even if true, nursing two pups wouldn’t explain why all pups survive when mothers die around three months post-birth, as it doesn’t address the timing or mechanism of pup survival.

(B) During a good season, no female earless seals die, and marine biologists note that there have been more good seasons than bad in recent years.  
  Explanation: This option discusses good seasons and their frequency, which is irrelevant to the bad season scenario in the question. It doesn’t explain why pups survive when mothers die in a bad season, failing to address the discrepancy.

(C) Some of the female earless seals do not give birth during breeding season.  
  Explanation: The discrepancy concerns mothers who give birth and die versus their pups surviving. Non-breeding females are outside the scope of this paradox, so this option doesn’t explain why pups of breeding mothers survive.

(D) The earless seal pups nurse only for a brief period of time, with the longest nursing period being one month.  
  Explanation: If pups nurse for only one month, they are weaned before the mothers’ deaths around three months post-birth. This explains the discrepancy: mothers die after the nursing period due to energy depletion, but pups, no longer dependent on nursing, survive. The short nursing period resolves the paradox.

(E) Some of the female earless seals will live as long as six months after giving birth, thus guaranteeing that their pups have a better chance of survival.  
  Explanation: This option doesn’t explain why all pups survive when some mothers die around three months. Survival of some mothers for six months doesn’t address the pups of mothers who die earlier, leaving the discrepancy unresolved.

The key is explaining why pups survive despite mothers’ deaths around three months post-birth. Only a short nursing period ensures pups are independent before mothers die.

Answer: D

ManifestDreamMBA · Answer

Power of just one word or it's usage!!

One thing that got me into eliminating D was thinking the roles have reversed since nurse was used with pup and not the mother.
The earless seal  pups nurse  only for a brief period of time, with the longest nursing period being one month.

I researched a bit and found this. Sharing in case someone else also got confused like me

"Nurse" (transitive verb):  When used transitively (acting on an object), it means the  mother  is feeding her young with milk.  Example:  The mother seal  nurses  her pup.

"Nurse" (intransitive verb):  When used intransitively (without a direct object), it means the  young animal (or baby)  is feeding from its mother's milk.  Example:  The pup  nurses  for a month.

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Overview:

In this question, the student is given information about the female earless seal and the events surrounding gestation and breeding. According to the passage, the female earless seal gestates for anywhere from nine to eleven months (depending on the variety of earless seal) and gives birth to and nurses only one pup at a time. The passage notes that during a bad season up to three female earless seals in a colony will die three months after giving birth, although all of the pups usually survive. Considering that other female seals cannot nurse orphaned pups – since each lactating female can nurse only a single pup – a natural expectation is that the pups would die with their mothers, since they have no one to nurse them. However, the pups all survive. The question asks the student to select an answer choice that best explains this discrepancy.

The Correct Answer:

D Answer choice (D) indicates that the mother seals nurse the pups only up to a month at the longest, suggesting that after a month the pups are capable of locating food for themselves. This answer choice thus provides a sufficient explanation for why the mother seals might die three months after giving birth, while the pups survive: the pups are finished nursing by this point and can find their own food. Answer choice (D) is correct.

The Incorrect Answers:

A Answer choice (A) contradicts the statement in the passage that the mother seals give birth to and nurse only one pup at a time and then use most of their energy to nurse that single pup, often fasting while she is lactating. Answer choice (A) cannot be correct.

B Answer choice (B), although interesting, is irrelevant to explaining the discrepancy. The question asks for a reason that the pups survive although the mothers do not; answer choice (B) simply diverts from this point to say that very often the mothers do not die. Moreover, answer choice (B) ignores the statement in the question about the reason for mothers dying during a bad season. Answer choice (B) is clearly incorrect and can be eliminated immediately.

C Answer choice (C) does not explain why seal pups survive even when their mothers die. It is not surprising that some female seals do not give birth (for instance, because they are not sexually mature). The existence of such seals alone does not explain why more pups survive (there is nothing in the passage to suggest they would nurse the orphaned pups, for example).

E As with answer choice (B), answer choice (E) ignores the central question by offering interesting but irrelevant information. The question asks for a reason for the discrepancy between mother seals dying three months after giving birth while the pups survive. Answer choice (E) merely provides information about some of the mothers living up to six months. Because this is unrelated to why pups live when mothers die, answer choice (E) is incorrect.

The female earless seal has a gestation period that usually spans nine

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The female earless seal has a gestation period that usually spans nine

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards