PrepTest 122, Section 2, Question 6
The cattle egret is a bird that lives(35 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(18 more words not shown)
- ABirds other than(14 more words not shown)
- BCattle egrets are(11 more words not shown)
- CThe presence of(9 more words not shown)
- DCattle egrets are(12 more words not shown)
- EForests are generally(16 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Food is one reason to follow the cattle. Is it the only reason?
The proposed explanation makes sense: grazing cattle stir up insects, and the egrets eat those insects. But the author goes further and calls that the only available explanation. What if the cattle also protect the birds? Imagine a bird staying near a large animal because a predator is less likely to approach it there. The bird could get both food and safety from the same arrangement.
What we’re looking for
We're specifically asked to challenge the claim that the insect explanation is the only one. So we don't need to show that the birds never eat the insects. Give us another benefit of following the cattle. Protection from predators is my first guess, though any supported alternative could do the job.
Working the answers
- A
Other birds eating insects doesn't give these egrets a different reason to follow cattle. It shows that other birds may receive the same food benefit. That's compatible with the author's explanation being the only available one for the behavior we're discussing.
- B
Following rhinos and buffalo doesn't tell us why the egrets follow them. Those animals might also stir up insects. We'd have to add a new fact about some other benefit before this supplied an alternative explanation. B gives us more animals to explain, not a different reason for the behavior.
- CCorrect
Staying around cattle helps keep predators away. That's a clear benefit separate from the insects the cattle stir up. The egrets could follow the herds for protection, for food, or for both. We don't have to decide which benefit matters more to undermine the claim that only the food explanation is available.
- D
This reinforces the connection between egrets and large, slow-moving animals without explaining it. Perhaps the egrets remain within those animals' ranges because the animals stir up their food. That would leave the original explanation intact, with no alternative supplied.
- E
A shortage of suitable insects could explain why egrets avoid forests. It doesn't provide another reason to stay around cattle. If anything, it fits the idea that finding appropriate food matters to where the birds live. We still need a benefit of the cattle besides the insects.
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