Engine noise from boats travelling through killer whales’ habitats ran

Question

Engine noise from boats travelling through killer whales’ habitats ranges in frequency from 100 hertz to 3,000 hertz, an acoustical range that overlaps that in which the whales communicate through screams and squeals. Though killer whales do not seem to behave differently around running boat engines, engine noise from boats can be loud enough to damage their hearing over time. Therefore, _______.

Which one of the following most logically completes the argument? 
 (A)  younger killer whales are better able to tolerate engine noise from boats than older whales are
 (B)  killer whales are less likely to attempt to communicate with one another when boat engines are operating nearby
 (C)  noise from boat engines may impair killer whales’ ability to communicate
 (D)  killer whales are most likely to prefer areas where boat traffic is present, but light
 (E)  killer whales would probably be more successful in finding food if boats did not travel through their habitats

sony1000 · Answer

In my view answer (A)" younger killer whales are better able to tolerate engine noise from boats than older whales are" could be logically inferred from the premise " engine noise from boats can be loud enough to damage their hearing over time".

Yet, answer (C) "noise from boat engines may impair killer whales’ ability to communicate" is contrary to the text arguing that "killer whales do not seem to behave differently around running boat engines". Also, no where in the text there is specific mention that "boat engines may impair killer whales’ ability to communicate". Any insights...

redskull1 · Answer

Nope.A doesn't make sense in this context.

If hearing is damaged, then it will be possible to tolerate the sound better.Not become intolerant.

KarishmaB · Answer

Premises:
Engine noise ranges in frequency that overlaps the range in which whales communicate.
The whales don't behave differently around running boat engines
Engine noise can damage their hearing over time.

Therefore ...
We are looking for a conclusion.

(A)  younger killer whales are better able to tolerate engine noise from boats than older whales are

We cannot conclude this. What if young whales have bad hearing and it improves over years as they reach youth but the engine noise impacts hearing in a few months? We don't know enough to say what is their better/best hearing age.

(B)  killer whales are less likely to attempt to communicate with one another when boat engines are operating nearby

Not true. The argument says specifically that they don't behave differently when the running engines are around. So we certainly CANNOT conclude that they don't communicate normally when engines are around.

(C)  noise from boat engines may impair killer whales’ ability to communicate

The argument tells us that engine noise can damage their hearing over time. This could certainly impair their ability to communicate. Hence this is correct. Noise from engines may impair their ability to communicate.

(D)  killer whales are most likely to prefer areas where boat traffic is present, but light

We don't know what they prefer and whether they get disturbed by boat noise. Also, no reason to assume that they prefer areas where boat traffic is present.

(E)  killer whales would probably be more successful in finding food if boats did not travel through their habitats

No mention of food finding so irrelevant.

Answer (C)

adstudy · Answer

sony1000

I also got confused with this answer choice and rejected it on the basis of the word 'Communicate'. i thought the last line mentions about the boat engines noise affecting the whale's hearing ability but why won't the be able to communicate as they communicate through screams and squeals. But then I realized that 'communicate' is a two way process, wherein we speak also and listen also with our peers. So until we don't listen how will we speak. It may seem absurd now as to why i thought this way but sometimes, i guess, in the flow you may get confused at the basic level. Anyways, so C fits perfectly here.

As far as answer choice A is concerned, we can not be sure whether Younger whales will be less or more susceptible to engine noise. It may be so that as you grow older for whales you become more tolerant towards noise but that also goes up to a certain level. But this whole thing is nowhere stated directly in the passage.

So i resolved it this way. Hope it may help you too.
Let me know if any gap in my understanding.

Paras96 · Answer

The argument discusses the potential harm that engine noise from boats can cause to killer whales, particularly regarding their hearing. It mentions that killer whales communicate through screams and squeals within a frequency range that overlaps with the engine noise. We need to find a logical completion for the argument.

(C) noise from boat engines may impair killer whales’ ability to communicate

This option directly addresses the issue of engine noise potentially impairing the ability of killer whales to communicate. It logically completes the argument by providing a potential consequence of the engine noise on the whales' communication.

Therefore, option (C) is the most logical completion for the argument.

Tranquil_Z · Answer

It cannot be (A). The focus of the premise is not on the younger or older Killer Whales, rather on their hearing ability as one species. It might also be possible that since the whales are younger they are more sensitive and thus less tolerant to engine noise.

unraveled · Answer

Engine noise from boats travelling through killer whales’ habitats ranges in frequency from 100 hertz to 3,000 hertz, an acoustical range that overlaps that in which the whales communicate through screams and squeals. Though killer whales do not seem to behave differently around running boat engines, engine noise from boats can be loud enough to damage their hearing over time. Therefore, _______.

Which one of the following most logically completes the argument? 
 (A)  younger killer whales are  better able to tolerate  engine noise from boats than older whales are - WRONG. No differentiation as such is ascertainable from the passage.
 (B)  killer whales are  less likely to attempt to communicate  with one another  when boat engines are operating nearby  - WRONG. "less likely" may be because of its inability or may be behaviour because of boat engine noise.
 (C)  noise from boat engines  may impair killer whales’ ability to communicate  - CORRECT. Correct sequence of flow as per passage. 
 (D)  killer whales are most likely to  prefer areas where boat traffic is present , but light - WRONG. Preference is irrelevant. 
 (E)  killer whales would probably be  more successful in finding food if boats did not travel through their habitats  - WRONG. Food is irrelevant.

Answer C.

Score-Quest · Answer

Let's evaluate the options:

(A) younger killer whales are better able to tolerate engine noise from boats than older whales are
 The argument doesn't provide any distinction between younger and older whales regarding their tolerance to noise.
 
(B) killer whales are less likely to attempt to communicate with one another when boat engines are operating nearby
 The argument does mention overlapping frequency ranges, but it does not explicitly state that the presence of boat engine noise will deter communication.
 
(C) noise from boat engines may impair killer whales’ ability to communicate
 This choice aligns well with the information. If boat engine noise overlaps with the whales' communication frequency and can damage their hearing, it may indeed impair their ability to communicate.
 
(D) killer whales are most likely to prefer areas where boat traffic is present, but light
 The argument does not provide any information about the killer whales' preferences concerning boat traffic.
 
(E) killer whales would probably be more successful in finding food if boats did not travel through their habitats
 While this might be a valid concern, the argument mainly focuses on the overlap in frequency ranges and potential hearing damage, not food finding.Let's evaluate the options:

Engine noise from boats travelling through killer whales’ habitats ran

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Engine noise from boats travelling through killer whales’ habitats ran

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

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From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards