Suitable habitats for gray wolves have greatly diminished in area. In

Question

Suitable habitats for gray wolves have greatly diminished in area. In spite of this fact, the most sensible course would be to refrain from reestablishing gray wolves in places where previously they have been hunted out of existence. Striving to bring back these animals to places where they will only face lethal human hostility is immoral.

The argument above would be most significantly weakened if which of the following were true?

(A) Effective laws against the hunting of gray wolves have been enacted.

(B) Ranchers, farmers, and hunters still have an ingrained bias against gray wolves.

(C) By the 1930’s bounty hunters had exterminated most of the gray wolves in the United States.

(D) Programs for increasing the gray wolf population are not aided by federal laws that require the licensing of hunters of certain predators.

(E) Suggested programs for increasing the gray wolf population have been criticized by environmentalists and biologists.

Bunuel · Answer

Check out TWIN QUESTION (assumption) here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/suitable-hab ... 12932.html

jpan · Answer

IMO the answer is A. 
A: "effective" laws against hunting of gray wolves have been enacted. This implies that reestablishing the habitat in previously hunted habitats won't be exposing them to lethal human hostility.
B: Supports the argument.
C: Irrelavant. Does nothing to weaken argument.
D: Supports argument. If hunters aren't required to gain licensing for hunting gray wolves, they are free to do so.
E: Irrelavant. Why they were criticized hasn't been mentioned. If anything, supports argument.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

ANALYSIS

Given: 
Area of habitats conducive for gray wolves has reduced a lot. (Inference: gray wolf population likely cannot be increased in these areas)
But trying to re-introduce gray wolves in other areas from where they were hunted out existence is not sensible ( Inference: earlier wolves were hunted in such areas and because of the hunting they ceased to exist there)

Conclusion : Trying to reintroduce gray wolves in areas where they will ONLY face human hostility (will be hunted ) is immoral.

PRE-THINKING

Missing Li nk:

The author’s reasoning rests on the thought that the gray wolves will face ONLY enmity from humans. That is, these areas where the humans hunted the gray wolves out of existence will not be good for the animals because they will be hunted out again. And subjecting them to such pre-known end is immoral.

Assumption:  The author assumes that the way the humans hunted the gray wolves earlier, they will again hunt them this time around – what happened in the past will happen again

Weakening the argument:

What if something is different this time around which prevents the indiscriminate hunting of gray wolves by humans? In that case re-introducing the gray wolves in such areas will not be immoral.

Weakener :  Now there are new rules and regulations prohibiting the hunting of gray wolves in areas where they were previously hunted.

ANSWER CHOICE ELIMINATION

(A) Effective laws against the hunting of gray wolves have been enacted.
 (This is in line with our pre-thought weakener. Correct Choice)

(B) Ranchers, farmers, and hunters still have an ingrained bias against gray wolves.
 (This supports the conclusion)
 
(C) By the 1930’s bounty hunters had exterminated most of the gray wolves in the United States.
 (This talks about some past time period when majority of the gray wolves were killed in the US. This choice does not tell us anything new. We already know that there are areas from which the wolves were hunted out of existence. If anything , this choice supports the conclusion.)

(D) Programs for increasing the gray wolf population are not aided by federal laws that require the licensing of hunters of certain predators.
(T his choice says that there aren’t laws stopping indiscriminate hunting to support gray wolf re-introduction programs. This choice strengthens the conclusion)

(E) Suggested programs for increasing the gray wolf population have been criticized by environmentalists and biologists.
 (This choice just reaffirms - using third party opinion- what the conclusion says – it is not right to re-introduce gray wolves in such areas where they were hunted out earlier.)

VerbalBot · Answer

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Suitable habitats for gray wolves have greatly diminished in area. In

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