PrepTest 133, Section 2, Question 10
Human settlement of previously uninhabited areas tends to(45 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(17 more words not shown)
- AResidents of prairie(23 more words not shown)
- BTowns on the(20 more words not shown)
- CSince the international(20 more words not shown)
- DWildlife such as(21 more words not shown)
- ETrees are denser(23 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Maybe these birds are getting something useful from living near people.
Human settlement often harms wildlife, but that doesn't mean every species must suffer. A bird could benefit from food people leave out or from new places to nest. Those are possibilities to investigate, not facts we've been given about Mississippi kites.
What we’re looking for
What needs explaining is stronger than mere survival. The kite population has grown faster in towns than in rural areas. So I'd look for a particular advantage of town life that helps these birds flourish. Showing that people don't do much harm wouldn't yet explain why the birds do so much better there.
Working the answers
- A
Setting off firecrackers near the birds' roosts doesn't give them an obvious benefit. It sounds more like an attempt to drive them away. Without some additional connection, frightening the birds doesn't explain their more rapid population growth in towns.
- B
Small towns with few people might leave wildlife less disturbed than a crowded city would. But we aren't just explaining why the kites escape serious harm. We need to explain their faster growth compared with rural areas. The presence of other wild animals and a low human population don't identify the advantage the kites gain.
- C
Protection from shooting could help kites generally, but this answer doesn't distinguish towns from rural areas. The treaty is effectively enforced, not described as protecting only town birds. It therefore doesn't explain why living in the settled areas is associated with faster growth.
- D
Pigeons and raccoons give us other examples of animals doing well around humans. That shows the kite isn't the only species capable of adapting, but it doesn't explain this species' success. We still need to know what helps the kites in particular.
- ECorrect
Towns have denser trees, and those trees better protect the kites' nests and eggs from hail and windstorms. Now we have a specific benefit that differs between the two locations. Better-protected nests and eggs give us a reason the population could grow more rapidly in towns.
This takes the nesting-place possibility in a concrete direction. We don't need to claim that people are good for all wildlife, or even that every feature of town life benefits the kites. The extra protection explains how this particular bird could thrive despite the usual pattern.
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