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Networks of blood vessels in bats wings serve only to disperse heat

ykaiim

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Updated on: 09 Mar 2026, 23:26

Originally posted by ykaiim on 14 May 2010, 04:36.
Last edited by Bunuel on 09 Mar 2026, 23:26, edited 8 times in total.

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Networks of blood vessels in bats’ wings serve only to disperse heat generated in flight. This heat is generated only because bats flap their wings. Thus paleontologists’ recent discovery that the winged dinosaur Sandactylus had similar networks of blood vessels in the skin of its wings provides evidence for the hypothesis that Sandactylus flew by flapping its wings, not just by gliding.

In the passage, the author develops the argument by

(A) forming the hypothesis that best explains several apparently conflicting pieces of evidence

(B) reinterpreting evidence that had been used to support an earlier theory

(C) using an analogy with a known phenomenon to draw a conclusion about an unknown phenomenon

(D) speculating about how structures observed in present-day creatures might have developed from similar structures in creatures now extinct

(E) pointing out differences in the physiological demands that flight makes on large, as opposed to small, creatures

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DmitryFarberMPrep

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28 Sep 2014, 11:37

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First off, it's definitely not a strengthen question. "The argument develops the argument by" means that we are going to explain how the existing argument is already written. We are just describing the structure of what we have read. Nothing in the answer choices is strengthening--it's just descriptive.

So, how does this argument work? The author presents facts about bats and how the network of blood vessels in their wings relates to their method of flight. Then we're told that this dinosaur, Sandactylus, had a similar network of blood vessels. The author thinks that this information supports the conclusion that Sandactylus flew in a similar way to a bat.

So we have evidence about a known phenomenon (bats still exist, and we seem to know facts about them). This evidence is used to support an idea about an unknown phenomenon (Sandactylus does not still exist, and we don't yet know for sure how it flies). This matches (C) precisely.

If the answer were (B), we'd need to see the author coming to a different conclusion than someone else had come to. Reinterpreting evidence would be more like "Scientists once thought that this meant that Sandactylus flapped its wings, but now we think that X."

Does this help?

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18 Nov 2013, 06:29

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Networks of blood vessels in bats' wings serve only to disperse heat generated in flight. This heat is generated only because bats flap their wings. Thus paleontologists' recent discovery that the winged dinosaur Sandactylus had similar networks of blood vessels in the skin of its wings provides evidence for the hypothesis that Sandactylus flew by flapping its wings, not just by gliding.
Inthe passage, the author develops the argument by
(A) forming the hypothesis that best explains several apparently conflicting pieces of evidence
(B) reinterpreting evidence that had been used to support an earlier theory
(C) using an analogy with a known phenomenon to draw a conclusion about an unknown phenomenon
(D) speculating about how structures observed in present-day creatures might have developed from similar
structures in creatures now extinct
(E) pointing out differences in the physiological demands that flight makes on large, as opposed to small, creatures

Official Answer is C.

My problem is I choosed down to B and C, and selected B, and got wrong!!!! The reason I eliminate C is
1. The phenomenon was not unknown, in question stimulus you find the word "hypothesis", so the analogy of flight technique of bats and Sandactylus was not unknown.

The reasons I chose B are
1. "the winged dinosaur Sandactylus had similar networks of blood vessels" was an evidence
2. this evidence was reintrepeting to establish same flight technique
3. this evidence also was supporting earlier percieved theory that birds network of blood vessels in their wings usually fly by gliding and sometimes flapping their wings.
4. I thought this was a strengthening question "the author develops the argument by", if only a newly discovered evidence support the earlier theory, then the argument will be "developed"

Please, help me finding my misunderstandings...!!!

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25 Sep 2014, 23:18

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shpnoraj

FACT : Networks of blood vessels in bats' wings serve only to disperse heat generated in flight. This heat is generated only because bats flap their wings.
The author also knows a fact that BAT fly using its wing.Author makes an conclusion that Because BAT has blood vessels in wings , It flies.
Blood vessel in wings ---A
BAT flies using its wings ------B
If A happens then B will happen [b]Conclusion 1[/b]

This is a Known Phenomenon.

paleontologists' recent discovery that the winged dinosaur Sandactylus had similar networks of blood vessels in the skin of its wings provides evidence for the hypothesis that Sandactylus flew by flapping its wings, not just by gliding.

It was hypothesized that Sandactylus flew by flapping its wings, not just by gliding. It was not proven.
We have a FACT that Sandactylus has similar networks of blood vessels as bat in the skin of its wings.
The Author takes this above fact and apply Conclusion 1 on this and reach to a final conclusion that Sandactylus flew by flapping its wings, not just by gliding.

(B) reinterpreting evidence that had been used to support an earlier theory.

(C) using an analogy with a known phenomenon to draw a conclusion about an unknown phenomenon
Correct. Author uses the conclusion of BAT and apply the analogy to Sandactylus.

Quote:

1. The phenomenon was not unknown, in question stimulus you find the word "hypothesis", so the analogy of flight technique of bats and Sandactylus was not unknown.
The argument mentions " provides evidence for the hypothesis that Sandactylus flew by flapping its" Hypothesis is for Sandactylus only.Author knows for sure that BAT flies.Moreover, It makes sense to assume about BAT that they fly not just glide because the do exists now but Sandactylus extincted long back, we can only hypothesize about that now.

The reasons I chose B are
1. "the winged dinosaur Sandactylus had similar networks of blood vessels" was an evidence
Correct
2. this evidence was reintrepeting to establish same flight technique
Nopes. The argument doesn't talk about previous interpretation if any.So, It will not be correct to say "reinterpreting" .
3. this evidence also was supporting earlier percieved theory that birds network of blood vessels in their wings usually fly by gliding and sometimes flapping their wings.
4. I thought this was a strengthening question "the author develops the argument by", if only a newly discovered evidence support the earlier theory, then the argument will be "developed"
It is How the author developed the argument.

I hope it helps

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09 Mar 2026, 23:03

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