A deadly virus that has claimed the lives of local villagers has been

Question

A deadly virus that has claimed the lives of local villagers has been traced to the spotted fruit bat, in which the virus resides between periodic outbreaks. Biologists speculate that the bat might also be one of the reservoirs for a number of other viruses that have led to village fatalities. The local government has proposed to eliminate the spotted fruit bat by cutting off passageways that allow the bat to emerge from its caves. Once the bat is unable to emerge from the caves, the government will have achieved its objective of reducing the number of village deaths attributable to viruses.

Which of the following, if true, would best indicate that the government’s plan will not lead to its objective?

(A) The bat caves in which the spotted fruit bat dwell are filled with bat dung, or guano, which provides a significant source of revenue for the country.

(B) Another species of bat has been observed feeding on small animals, and has also been reported to have bitten human beings, who report feeling severely weakened after awakening from the attack.

(C) Many villagers who would have otherwise succumbed to a viral disease have been cured after ingesting a serum derived from a local flower whose only means of germinating is via the fur of the spotted fruit bat

(D) The spotted fruit bat dwells deep inside the caves where government workers, despite using sophisticated technology, have been unable to penetrate completely.

(E) Though there are several other species of fruit bats in the area, the spotted fruit bat is the only one that serves as a reservoir for deadly viruses, which result in a majority of the village’s fatalities.

ElninoEffect · Answer

We are looking for a weakner here:

(A) The bat caves in which the spotted fruit bat dwell are filled with bat dung, or guano, which provides a significant source of revenue for the country.
 Revenue is not in question here.

(B) Another species of bat has been observed feeding on small animals, and has also been reported to have bitten human beings, who report feeling severely weakened after awakening from the attack.
 We are concerned only about the spotted fruit bat, not other species also from the statement we don't get the information whether these bats are responsible for the deadly virus.

(C) Many villagers who would have otherwise succumbed to a viral disease have been cured after ingesting a serum derived from a local flower whose only means of germinating is via the fur of the spotted fruit bat
 This is a Weakner which suggests if the plan is implemented then the only cure will also be gone.

(D) The spotted fruit bat dwells deep inside the caves where government workers, despite using sophisticated technology, have been unable to penetrate completely.
 Irrelevant.

(E) Though there are several other species of fruit bats in the area, the spotted fruit bat is the only one that serves as a reservoir for deadly viruses, which result in a majority of the village’s fatalities.
 No new information was provided plus not a weakner.

pratiksha1998 · Answer

Was confused between C and D. Can someone explain the reason why D is wrong as I thought it is relevant to the argument?

ElninoEffect · Answer

Okay.! Let's make it relevant then.!

(D) The spotted fruit bat dwells deep inside the caves where government workers, despite using sophisticated technology, have been unable to penetrate completely. If that's the case then the government can still cutoff the passage ways, trapping the bats inside only. We don't need to penetrate the caves where the bat dwells.! -As a result succeeding in its objective of reducing the number of village deaths attributable to viruses. Or if you are thinking that since humans are not able to reach the location where the bats reside how can humans get the virus.? (bats can always come out.) -Because that will be wrong reasoning. We needed to find a reason why the government's plan will not lead to its objective.! But this option seems to be working.! There is no flaw as to why it won't work. If i missed something or there is still a grain of doubt let me know.!

pratiksha1998 · Answer

This makes it clear, thanks for the help. Appreciate it!!!!!

Sarthakdua3 · Answer

Can someone help me understand how D is incorrect?

If humans have been unable to penetrate the cave completely (even with sophisticated technology), how can we be sure there aren't more passageways from where these bats can't get out?

Invincible_147 · Answer

I do understand that if there are no bats then there is no cure so it would lead to more deaths that are attributable to the virus, but if they close the cave then also there will be less deaths because people will get less infected with the virus will be less and therefore support the argument. 
Im not sure with option C as an answer, IMO option B should be the answer that its somewhat tilting us towards the idea that the problem is not solved. I know it is very slightly weakening but as compared to the other options it is more logical to select it.
Can anyone please clarify?

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Invincible_147

It's important to keep in mind that a weaken doesn't need to disprove the argument, nor does a strengthen need to prove the argument correct. A correct weakener just needs to introduce reasonable doubt that the answer is correct. C tells us that the gains from eliminating the bats may be offset by losses. We don't know the precise degree of the gains or the losses, but now it's not as clear that this decision will lead to a reduction in deaths. It's even possible that the number of deaths will increase!

As for B, since it's about a different kind of bat, it has no effect on the argument at all. We don't know whether those bats also dwell in the same caves, nor whether they are making people sick by spreading a virus, nor whether they are important pollinators. So this doesn't affect our evaluation of the plan. Also, we are not trying to assess whether the problem has  already  been solved, just whether the proposed plan will achieve its goal if enacted.

Aryan19852 · Answer

Still didn't got why C the plan is block the passage and not allowing them to enter in cities we have to weaken that, so the answers should probably have been majority of bats don't live in caves or the caves have thousands of holes making it impossible to block every hole, anything related to weaking this plan

A_Nishith · Answer

The question asks which option would best indicate that the government's plan to block the spotted fruit bat from emerging from its caves will not achieve its objective of reducing village deaths due to viruses.

Let's analyze the options:

(A) This option talks about the economic importance of bat guano but doesn't address how the government's plan impacts the reduction of village deaths from viruses. Therefore, this doesn't show why the plan would fail.

(B) This introduces another species of bat that could be harmful to humans, but it does not connect this bat species to being a reservoir for deadly viruses. While it implies another danger, it doesn’t explain why the plan to deal with the spotted fruit bat wouldn't work.

(C) This is crucial because it suggests that the spotted fruit bat plays an important role in the ecosystem by enabling the germination of a local flower, which produces a serum that cures villagers who would have otherwise died from viruses. If the spotted fruit bat is eliminated, the flower may no longer germinate, thus removing a key means of curing villagers from viral diseases. This directly suggests that the plan might lead to more deaths, not fewer, which indicates that the plan would not achieve its objective.

(D) This option suggests that the government might not be able to block all the bats due to the complexity of the caves. However, it doesn't indicate that eliminating the bats that can emerge wouldn't reduce fatalities. It implies logistical difficulty but not a failure in the objective itself.

(E) This option reinforces the uniqueness of the spotted fruit bat as a reservoir for the viruses, but it doesn't indicate why blocking its emergence from caves would fail to reduce deaths.

Conclusion:  The best answer is (C) because it suggests that eliminating the spotted fruit bat could prevent the germination of a flower crucial to curing viral diseases, leading to more deaths, not fewer.

A deadly virus that has claimed the lives of local villagers has been

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