The Aquipos toucan is able to use its long beak to reach inside

Question

The Aquipos toucan is able to use its long beak to reach inside apertures in a tree’s bark and feed on the insects that dwell within and that are the toucan’s main food source. Several noted ornithologists have speculated that because the toucan’s beak is curved in a manner similar to the openings in the bark, the beak evolved so that the toucan can best take advantage of the insects lying deep inside.

Which of the following, if true, argues most strongly against the ornithologists’ speculation?

(A) Not all trees in the Aquipos toucan’s environment house sufficient quantities of insects to satisfy the caloric needs of the toucan.

(B) Subtle gradations in the beak’s of other species of birds have allowed them to better access resources in their respective environments.

(C) Many insects crawl on the bark of the tree and a toucan can sometimes become satiated without having to access insects living beneath the bark.

(D) The Aquipos toucan is also able to use its beak to break bark, thereby accessing insects that dwell in the trunk.

(E) The tree holes in which the Aquipos toucan is able to access insects have a characteristic shape that differs only very slightly from tree to tree.

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GmatSonam · Answer

C , if the toucan didn’t feel the need to go inside the bark , then claim that beak evolved to make use of while feeding on insects falls apart.

hari1606 · Answer

D - The Aquipos toucan is also able to use its beak to break bark, thereby accessing insects that dwell in the trunk. 
Conclusion: The beak evolved so that toucan can access insects lying deep inside. 
Weakner: Anything pointing to beaks are curved for another reason.

Hence, option D

Carlsegan21 · Answer

Strongly against the speculation- weaken the position that "toucan’s beak is curved in a manner similar to the openings in the bark, the beak evolved so that the toucan can best take advantage of the insects lying deep inside".

D gives another possible way through which the toucan can access the insect lying deep inside.

Answer D

D gives another possible way through which the toucan can access the insect lying deep inside.

Answer D

Nipunh · Answer

Speculation:

The ornithologists speculate that the toucan’s beak is curved similarly to the openings in tree bark specifically so it can reach insects that lie deep within these openings. This suggests that the shape of the beak evolved to enable the toucan to better access insects in these hard-to-reach spots.

Goal:

We want to find an answer choice that argues against this speculation. The correct answer should suggest that the toucan’s beak shape might not have evolved specifically for the purpose of reaching insects deep within tree bark apertures.

Let's analyze each answer choice to see if it aligns with this goal.
(A) Not all trees in the Aquipos toucan’s environment house sufficient quantities of insects to satisfy the caloric needs of the toucan.

This choice discusses the availability of insects but doesn’t provide a reason against the beak evolving to reach them. It’s irrelevant to the speculation about why the beak is curved.

(B) Subtle gradations in the beak’s of other species of birds have allowed them to better access resources in their respective environments.

This choice talks about other bird species and their adaptations, which doesn’t directly argue against the beak’s purpose for the toucan. It’s irrelevant to the argument about the toucan’s beak.

(C) Many insects crawl on the bark of the tree and a toucan can sometimes become satiated without having to access insects living beneath the bark.

This option suggests that the toucan can find insects without using its beak to reach deep inside the tree bark. This implies the curved shape of the beak might not be essential for feeding, which could argue against the idea that the beak evolved for this purpose. This is a strong contender, right?  However , we missed one imp thing here we have to weaken the speculation..and if  sometimes  a thing happens it doesn't necesarily mean it is significant enough (it can very well be a rare thing to happen), evolution is a gradual process, so an issue that sometimes happen well in all likeliness be insignificant. Hence, because of  sometimes  used here, this is not a clear weakener!

(D) The Aquipos toucan is also able to use its beak to break bark, thereby accessing insects that dwell in the trunk.

If the toucan uses its beak to break bark instead of just reaching inside openings, this could suggest that the beak shape isn’t specifically designed for fitting into the curved apertures. This also argues against the speculation, as it presents an alternative function of the beak. Also in line with our prethinking. Answer

(E) The tree holes in which the Aquipos toucan is able to access insects have a characteristic shape that differs only very slightly from tree to tree.

This option supports the ornithologists’ speculation rather than contradicting it, as it implies a consistent shape that the toucan’s beak could have adapted to fit.

Bunuel · Answer

Official Explanation

Premise #1  – A. toucan uses beak to reach deep inside tree to eat insects (its primary source of food)

Premise #2  – Beaks are curved like the shape of the tree holes

Conclusion:  Beaks evolved to match shape of tree holes

Weakener:  The toucan accessing

(A) We are only focused on the tree that does supply the insects.

(B) is consistent with the ornithologist’s theory.

(C) is not as a slam-dunk of a correct answer as (C) because of the word “sometimes”. That makes the case for a weakener wishy-washy on the GMAT. We know that insects are the toucan’s primary source of food, so “sometimes” wouldn’t be an assurance that the toucan could rely on something other than the tree hole to acquire consistent nutrition.

(D) is the answer because the toucan is able to break the bark, meaning that it can access insects from a tree without having to access the tree hole in the first place. Therefore, it wouldn’t adapt a beak to fit the tree hole, if there were other means of accessing insects.

(E) provides information concerning the shape of the tree holes. Had that shape differed from tree to tree than the ornithologist’s theory would have fallen apart, because it wouldn’t make sense to say the toucan evolved its distinct beak shape based on tree holes, if those tree holes themselves don’t have a distinct shape. However, (E) is saying that the tree holes do have a distinct shape. Therefore, (E) strengthens the conclusion.

Mgerman42 · Answer

Wow, I just got seven of these (700+) level questions wrong in a row. How does anyone have the patience to study for this? lol

The Aquipos toucan is able to use its long beak to reach inside

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