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16 Sep 2014, 02:28
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A popular beach has long had a dolphin feeding program in which fish are given to dolphins several times a day; many dolphins get as much as half of their food each day there. Although dolphins that first benefit from the program as adults are healthy and long-lived, their offspring have a lower life expectancy than offspring of dolphins that feed exclusively in the wild.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the lower life expectancy of offspring of dolphins feeding at the beach compared to other young dolphins?
A. Sharks that prey on dolphins are less common in the open seas off the beach than in many other areas of the open seas where dolphins congregate.
B. Many of the adult dolphins that feed at the beach are females that nurse their offspring there.
C. The fish given to the dolphins at the beach are the same types of fish that dolphins typically catch in the wild.
D. Many dolphins that feed at the beach with their offspring come to the beach only a few times a month.
E. Adult dolphins that feed at the beach spend much less time teaching their offspring how to catch fish in the wild than do other adult dolphins.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the lower life expectancy of offspring of dolphins feeding at the beach compared to other young dolphins?
A. Sharks that prey on dolphins are less common in the open seas off the beach than in many other areas of the open seas where dolphins congregate.
B. Many of the adult dolphins that feed at the beach are females that nurse their offspring there.
C. The fish given to the dolphins at the beach are the same types of fish that dolphins typically catch in the wild.
D. Many dolphins that feed at the beach with their offspring come to the beach only a few times a month.
E. Adult dolphins that feed at the beach spend much less time teaching their offspring how to catch fish in the wild than do other adult dolphins.
16 Sep 2014, 02:29
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Official Solution:
A popular beach has long had a dolphin feeding program in which fish are given to dolphins several times a day; many dolphins get as much as half of their food each day there. Although dolphins that first benefit from the program as adults are healthy and long-lived, their offspring have a lower life expectancy than offspring of dolphins that feed exclusively in the wild.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the lower life expectancy of offspring of dolphins feeding at the beach compared to other young dolphins?
A. Sharks that prey on dolphins are less common in the open seas off the beach than in many other areas of the open seas where dolphins congregate.
B. Many of the adult dolphins that feed at the beach are females that nurse their offspring there.
C. The fish given to the dolphins at the beach are the same types of fish that dolphins typically catch in the wild.
D. Many dolphins that feed at the beach with their offspring come to the beach only a few times a month.
E. Adult dolphins that feed at the beach spend much less time teaching their offspring how to catch fish in the wild than do other adult dolphins.
General Approach:
In 'explain the paradox' questions of this nature, the initial step is to correctly identify and understand the paradox in the argument. Once the paradox is clearly understood, the next step is to find an answer choice which would resolve the discrepancy presented in the paradox while maintaining coherence with the information provided in the argument.
Correct Answer:
E) Adult dolphins that feed at the beach spend much less time teaching their offspring how to catch fish in the wild than do other adult dolphins. This answer choice provides a logical explanation for the paradox. If adult dolphins that feed at the beach are spending less time teaching their young how to hunt, the younger dolphins would have more difficulty finding food when the provided fish from the feeding program are insufficient. This struggle to find food could lead to the lower life expectancy observed in these offspring compared to offspring of dolphins in the wild who are well trained to hunt for their food.
Incorrect Answers:
A) Sharks that prey on dolphins are less common in the open seas off the beach than in many other areas of the open seas where dolphins congregate. While this explains why the beach might be safer, it does not explain why the offspring of dolphins who feed at the beach have lower life expectancy than the ones who feed in the wild. In fact, it seems to suggest the opposite.
B) Many of the adult dolphins that feed at the beach are females that nurse their offspring there. This does not explain the discrepancy. It only focuses on a particular gender among the beach feeding dolphins and does not provide information that would explain why their offspring have lower life expectancies.
C) The fish given to the dolphins at the beach are the same types of fish that dolphins typically catch in the wild. This information simply shows that the diet for both sets of dolphins is comparable, doing nothing to explain the difference in the life expectancies of the offspring.
D) Many dolphins that feed at the beach with their offspring come to the beach only a few times a month. This answer choice does not provide an explanation for the discrepancy either. Frequency of visits to the beach does not provide a cause for the lower life expectancy observed in the offspring of dolphins that feed at the beach.
Answer: E
A popular beach has long had a dolphin feeding program in which fish are given to dolphins several times a day; many dolphins get as much as half of their food each day there. Although dolphins that first benefit from the program as adults are healthy and long-lived, their offspring have a lower life expectancy than offspring of dolphins that feed exclusively in the wild.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the lower life expectancy of offspring of dolphins feeding at the beach compared to other young dolphins?
A. Sharks that prey on dolphins are less common in the open seas off the beach than in many other areas of the open seas where dolphins congregate.
B. Many of the adult dolphins that feed at the beach are females that nurse their offspring there.
C. The fish given to the dolphins at the beach are the same types of fish that dolphins typically catch in the wild.
D. Many dolphins that feed at the beach with their offspring come to the beach only a few times a month.
E. Adult dolphins that feed at the beach spend much less time teaching their offspring how to catch fish in the wild than do other adult dolphins.
General Approach:
In 'explain the paradox' questions of this nature, the initial step is to correctly identify and understand the paradox in the argument. Once the paradox is clearly understood, the next step is to find an answer choice which would resolve the discrepancy presented in the paradox while maintaining coherence with the information provided in the argument.
Correct Answer:
E) Adult dolphins that feed at the beach spend much less time teaching their offspring how to catch fish in the wild than do other adult dolphins. This answer choice provides a logical explanation for the paradox. If adult dolphins that feed at the beach are spending less time teaching their young how to hunt, the younger dolphins would have more difficulty finding food when the provided fish from the feeding program are insufficient. This struggle to find food could lead to the lower life expectancy observed in these offspring compared to offspring of dolphins in the wild who are well trained to hunt for their food.
Incorrect Answers:
A) Sharks that prey on dolphins are less common in the open seas off the beach than in many other areas of the open seas where dolphins congregate. While this explains why the beach might be safer, it does not explain why the offspring of dolphins who feed at the beach have lower life expectancy than the ones who feed in the wild. In fact, it seems to suggest the opposite.
B) Many of the adult dolphins that feed at the beach are females that nurse their offspring there. This does not explain the discrepancy. It only focuses on a particular gender among the beach feeding dolphins and does not provide information that would explain why their offspring have lower life expectancies.
C) The fish given to the dolphins at the beach are the same types of fish that dolphins typically catch in the wild. This information simply shows that the diet for both sets of dolphins is comparable, doing nothing to explain the difference in the life expectancies of the offspring.
D) Many dolphins that feed at the beach with their offspring come to the beach only a few times a month. This answer choice does not provide an explanation for the discrepancy either. Frequency of visits to the beach does not provide a cause for the lower life expectancy observed in the offspring of dolphins that feed at the beach.
Answer: E
