The fishing industry cannot currently be relied upon to help the

Question

The fishing industry cannot currently be relied upon to help the government count the seabirds killed by net fishing, since an accurate count might result in restriction of net fishing. The government should therefore institute a program under which tissue samples from the dead birds are examined to determine the amount of toxins in the fish eaten by the birds. The industry would then have a reason to turn in the bird carcasses, since the industry needs to know whether the fish it catches are contaminated with toxins. 130.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

(A) The seabirds that are killed by net fishing do not eat all of the species of fish caught by the fishing industry.

(B) The government has not in the past sought to determine whether fish were contaminated with toxins by examining tissue samples of seabirds.

(C) The government cannot gain an accurate count of the number of seabirds killed by net fishing unless the fishing industry cooperates.

(D) If the government knew that fish caught by the fishing industry were contaminated by toxins, the government would restrict net fishing.

(E) If net fishing were restricted by the government, then the fishing industry would become more inclined to reveal the number of seabirds killed by net fishing

Gemmie · Answer

Scenario:
- The government wants to know how many seabirds die in fishing nets (bird count).
- The fishing industry doesn't want the government to know this (because it might lead to restrictions).

The passage proposes a clever solution:
- A program analyzes bird tissue to see if the fish are contaminated (toxin program).
- The industry would benefit from knowing about contamination (avoid bad publicity, change fishing practices).

The key is to see how the toxin program incentivizes the industry to  cooperate  with the bird count indirectly:

1. Without industry cooperation: 
- The government can't get accurate bird count data (no dead birds).
- The toxin program can't analyze any bird tissue (no carcasses).

2. With industry cooperation: 
- They turn in dead birds (bird count data increases).
- The government can analyze tissue for toxins (industry gets info).

Why (C) strengthens the argument:

(C) says the government  needs industry cooperation  for an accurate bird count. This highlights a major  obstacle  to the whole plan. The toxin program becomes more attractive to the industry because it offers them a benefit (toxin info) even within the context of this obstacle they might not want to overcome.

gullyboy09 · Answer

Hi  KarishmaB , can you help me with this question please. My conclusion is- The industry would then have a reason to turn in the bird carcasses.

Now how come option C helps it? It only tells that this is the only way government can get the information, but will they get information or industry will provide that information is not covered.

guddo · Answer

The fishing industry cannot currently be relied upon to help the government count the seabirds killed by net fishing, since an accurate count might result in restriction of net fishing. The government should therefore institute a program under which tissue samples from the dead birds are examined to determine the amount of toxins in the fish eaten by the birds. The industry would then have a reason to turn in the bird carcasses, since the industry needs to know whether the fish it catches are contaminated with toxins. 
 
Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

The argument’s point is that  testing dead seabirds for toxins would give the fishing industry a new reason to turn in bird carcasses, which would help the government count how many seabirds are killed by net fishing . So the best strengthening answer is the one that shows the government really does need the industry’s cooperation in order for this plan to work.

(A) The seabirds that are killed by net fishing do not eat all of the species of fish caught by the fishing industry.

This weakens rather than strengthens. If seabirds eat only some of the fish species, then toxin information from the birds may be less useful to the industry.

(B) The government has not in the past sought to determine whether fish were contaminated with toxins by examining tissue samples of seabirds.

This does not help much. The issue is whether the new program would motivate the industry to cooperate, not whether the government has tried this before.

(C) The government cannot gain an accurate count of the number of seabirds killed by net fishing unless the fishing industry cooperates.

This is the best answer. If an accurate count depends on industry cooperation, then giving the industry a reason to turn in carcasses becomes much more valuable. This directly strengthens the argument for the proposed program.

(D) If the government knew that fish caught by the fishing industry were contaminated by toxins, the government would restrict net fishing.

This weakens the argument. If the industry expects toxin findings to trigger restrictions, then it has less reason to cooperate.

(E) If net fishing were restricted by the government, then the fishing industry would become more inclined to reveal the number of seabirds killed by net fishing.

This does not strengthen the proposed plan. The issue is how to get cooperation now, before restrictions, not after them.

Answer: (C)

The fishing industry cannot currently be relied upon to help the

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The fishing industry cannot currently be relied upon to help the