Animal intelligence is a hotly debated topic in the biological science

Question

Animal intelligence is a hotly debated topic in the biological sciences, and recent field studies of ravens indicate that these birds may be aware of their actions in a way that suggests a high-level of cognition that could be interpreted as intelligence. The common raven is a member of the Corvidae family, which includes nutcrackers, jays, crows, and magpies. Corvids have been observed using tools to gather food. For example, jays place acorns on branches, which they use as anvils, and crows have been observed using sticks to pry food out of cracks. While scientists disagree about whether or not the use of tools is an unambiguous example of animal intelligence, most concede that such use demonstrates at least a capacity for problem solving. And even if a cognitive capacity were found to exist, questions would still remain about the extent to which this capacity reflects intelligence.

In hundreds of hours of field observations, biologist Bernd Heinrich recorded numerous raven behaviors that he did not consider to be examples of a simple, stimulus-response mechanism. Instead, Heinrich concluded that some of these behaviors demonstrated a level of intelligent action. Two examples of feeding behavior illustrate Heinrich’s findings: ravens, which are omnivores, eat mainly carrion and associate with animals that kill large game, and ravens cache excess food from a kill site for later retrieval. Heinrich observed ravens sharing food at a moose kill and making loud vocalizations that alerted other ravens to the find. Did the ravens draw attention to the find because they were aware that there was something to be gained from sharing? In Heinrich’s view, ravens cooperate in gathering food because they recognize that alerting other ravens to carcasses benefits each individual in times of scarcity. According to his theory, ravens are better able to utilize scarce resources by taking advantage of all food sources, which gives them a competitive edge. Heinrich also observed ravens pulling meat off a carcass and stacking the meat in a pile. The ravens then carried the entire stack in their bills, thus increasing the amount of food carried to the cache site. Heinrich considered the raven’s actions to demonstrate a rudimentary understanding of the concept of efficiency. Regardless of any scientific conclusions drawn from these behaviors, ravens offer many opportunities to observe a complex animal mind.    1 
 1. The author is primarily concerned with

A. demonstrating how animals learn behaviors in a controlled environment
B. refuting claims that observations of raven behaviors demonstrate cognition
C. discussing tool use in different bird species
D. providing examples of raven behaviors that may demonstrate intelligence
E. questioning the importance of fieldwork in the biological sciences

2 
 2. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?

A. The feeding behavior of ravens can best be explained as a stimulus-response mechanism.
B. Observations of ravens in their natural environment raise interesting questions about their intelligence.
C. While caution should be used when interpreting field observations, raven behavior suggests that these birds do not demonstrate cognition.
D. Ravens are the only corvids to be observed undertaking activities that suggest the capacity to solve problems.
E. Biologists are firmly convinced of the lack of intelligent activity in the animal kingdom.

3 
 3. The author cites examples of the use of tools by crows and jays to provide support for which of the following claims?

A. Tool use is not an example of animal intelligence.
B. Sophisticated behavior has been observed in close relatives of the raven.
C. Tool use demonstrates a stimulus-response mechanism.
D. Crows call to each other to signal the availability of food.
E. Tool use, while observed in crows and jays, as never been observed in ravens.

4 
 4. Which of the following statements about the evidence of intelligence in raven behavior is best supported by the information presented in the passage?

A. Raven intelligence is no longer a subject of debate.
B. Raven feeding behavior provides evidence of intelligence on par with human beings.
C. Field observations are important in the field of animal cognition.
D. Tool use by birds is an unambiguous example of intelligent behavior.
E. Ravens only call each other to a kill site when food resources are plentiful.

RC Butler 2021  -  Practice Two RC Questions Everyday.   
Passage # 61 Date: 12-Feb-2021
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2021 .  Click here for Details

road740 · Answer

My answers

1D
2B
3B
4B

vinhkhang20 · Answer

So first I summarized what the reading is about :
1. animal intelligence & raven was mentioned as example.
2. observations of raven behaviors.

Here are my answers :

1. The author is primarily concerned with
A. demonstrating how animals learn behaviors in a controlled environment
This seems tempting since there is a lot of recycled language, however the passage is about the behaviors of animals that show their intelligence, not about how animals learn new behaviors. 
B. refuting claims that observations of raven behaviors demonstrate cognition
The passage did not refute anything.
C. discussing tool use in different bird species
Briefly mentioned in para 1, but this answer is quite ambiguous also. 
 D. providing examples of raven behaviors that may demonstrate intelligence 
This is the correct answer, the first para mention raven and the 2nd para explains this. 
E. questioning the importance of fieldwork in the biological sciences
The author didn't question anything.

2. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?
A. The feeding behavior of ravens can best be explained as a stimulus-response mechanism.
In the passage : "he did not consider to be examples of a simple, stimulus-response mechanism."
 B. Observations of ravens in their natural environment raise interesting questions about their intelligence.
 I crossed out the other 4 answers then came back to B. 
C. While caution should be used when interpreting field observations, raven behavior suggests that these birds do not demonstrate cognition.
The whole passage is about raven possess to some extent animal cognition and this answer refutes all, so cross this out. 
D. Ravens are the only corvids to be observed undertaking activities that suggest the capacity to solve problems.
The "only" here is too strong to be inferred from the passage. 
E. Biologists are firmly convinced of the lack of intelligent activity in the animal kingdom.
Definitely wrong.

3. The author cites examples of the use of tools by crows and jays to provide support for which of the following claims?
We can identify this piece of information in passage 1, so anything related to para 2 will be false, so cross out C & D. Answer A is against the whole idea of para 1, so cross out. Answer E uses "never" which is too strong to be inferred from any sentence in the passage, so cross out.  This leaves me with B.

4. Which of the following statements about the evidence of intelligence in raven behavior is best supported by the information presented in the passage?
A. Raven intelligence is no longer a subject of debate.
No source. 
B. Raven feeding behavior provides evidence of intelligence on par with human beings.
Nowhere did the passage compared raven with human beings. 
 C. Field observations are important in the field of animal cognition. 
Not mentioned in the passage but after cross out other 4 answers, this seems to be an appropriate answer, seems the author used the whole 2nd para to describe the results of hundreds of hours of field observations of biologist Bernd Heinrich. 
D. Tool use by birds is an unambiguous example of intelligent behavior.
In para 1 : "While scientists disagree about whether or not the use of tools is an unambiguous example of animal intelligence", so this sentence is not confirmed, cross it out. 
E. Ravens only call each other to a kill site when food resources are plentiful.
In para 2 : "alerting other ravens to carcasses benefits each individual in times of scarcity.", cross this out.

road740 · Answer

Hi, could somebody please expain why it is 3A and 4D? Thanks in advance!

santosh93 · Answer

In the passage, it is mentioned that
" scientists disagree about whether or not the use of tools is an unambiguous example of animal intelligence, most concede that such use demonstrates at least a capacity for problem-solving.

It meant scientists aren't accepting the use of tools as a sign of intelligence.

So the answer "A" to the 3rd question seems convincing.

But I don't understand how the answer to the 4th question is D(i.e.  Tool use by birds is an unambiguous example of intelligent behavior ). Because it seems to contradict what scientists disagree with.

Can someone please help me with the 4th question?

road740 · Answer

Thank you for your answer!

That´s exactly what I was thinking - the fourth choice answer seems to contradict with what is said in the text.

KeyurJoshi · Answer

I have to debate answer choice A for q3

"scientists disagree about whether or not the use of tools is an unambiguous example of animal intelligence, most concede that such use demonstrates at least a capacity for problem-solving."

Scientists disagree whether it is an unambiguous example, so i dont think we are sure to say that
A. Tool use is NOT an example of animal intelligence. -
It could be. I mean if scientists disagree about its unambiguity then it could just be ambiguous, which essentially means unclear. With that logic, we cannot say that its not an example of Animal intelligence

Whereas it makes more sense to infer B.
B. Sophisticated behavior has been observed in close relatives of the raven. -

"The common raven is a member of the Corvidae family, which includes nutcrackers, jays, crows, and magpies. Corvids have been observed using tools to gather food. For example, jays place acorns on branches, which they use as anvils, and crows have been observed using sticks to pry food out of cracks."

"most concede that such use demonstrates at least a capacity for problem solving."

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Bumping up for further discussion.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Animal intelligence is a hotly debated topic in the biological science

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Animal intelligence is a hotly debated topic in the biological science

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