PrepTest 119, Section 1, Question 21
The pronghorn, an antelope-like mammal that lives on(465 more words not shown)
The third paragraph of the(12 more words not shown)
- APredators do not(8 more words not shown)
- BPronghorns tend to(13 more words not shown)
- CIf animals do(11 more words not shown)
- DFemale pronghorns mate(9 more words not shown)
- EIf pronghorns did(12 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The third paragraph discusses two behaviors: herding and choosing athletic mates. Herding offers protection in general, but the writer says pronghorns no longer face the threats that would make that protection useful. Mate choice still favors speed and endurance. I'll check the answers against those claims rather than predict one particular inference before seeing the choices.
Working the answers
- A
Herding reduces an individual's chance of being attacked; it doesn't guarantee that predators won't attack the herd.
- B
The paragraph treats continued herding as a response left over from past threats. It doesn't say pronghorns herd only when they detect nearby danger now.
- C
We learn that pronghorns and many other grazing animals form herds. That doesn't establish a rule excluding all animals that eat in other ways.
- D
Females choose winners of sprints and chases, but that doesn't mean only the single fastest male in the whole herd can mate. D turns a preference for athletic ability into an exclusive rule the text doesn't give us.
- ECorrect
The writer says pronghorns have no reason to fear today’s meat-eating predators (paragraph 3) and therefore nothing to gain from herding. If the herd isn't providing needed protection against those animals, giving up that behavior wouldn't expose pronghorns to significantly greater danger from them.
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