PrepTest 134, Section 3, Question 3
Engine noise from boats travelling through killer whales'(54 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(5 more words not shown)
- Ayounger killer whales(13 more words not shown)
- Bkiller whales are(15 more words not shown)
- Cnoise from boat(8 more words not shown)
- Dkiller whales are(12 more words not shown)
- Ekiller whales would(15 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The whales don't seem to react. That doesn't mean the noise is harmless.
The passage explicitly tells us that engine noise can damage their hearing over time. The frequency range also overlaps the sounds whales use to communicate. Frequency describes the sound's pitch; it isn't a measure of how loud it is. The later statement about possible hearing damage supplies the relevant concern about loudness.
What we’re looking for
My first reaction is that perhaps boats should be limited in these habitats. But that would add a recommendation the passage hasn't argued for. We're completing its reasoning, so let's stay close to what we actually know: exposure to the engine noise can harm the whales' hearing even without an obvious change in behavior. I'd expect a modest conclusion developing that danger. We don't need to make this the greatest environmental problem, rank different whales, or invent a new effect.
Working the answers
- A
We aren't given a comparison of younger and older whales' tolerance. Older whales might have had more years of exposure, but accumulated exposure isn't the same as the ability to tolerate a noise. The passage establishes a possible danger to hearing, not an age-based ranking of susceptibility.
- B
Trying to communicate is different from being able to communicate effectively. The whales might keep making their usual sounds even if they have trouble hearing one another. We also aren't told that they reduce their attempts near boats; the passage says they don't seem to behave differently.
- CCorrect
This develops the hearing concern into a possible effect on communication. Whales communicate using sounds, and engine noise can damage their hearing. Difficulty hearing those sounds could impair communication. May is appropriately cautious: we don't need proof that every passing boat immediately prevents the whales from communicating.
- D
Why would the whales prefer some boat traffic to none? Nothing says boats offer them a benefit, much less that light traffic is their favorite arrangement. Their lack of an obvious reaction doesn't establish a preference for having boats nearby.
- E
This adds a connection between hearing and finding food. The passage gives us a connection between sound and communication, which supports C, but it doesn't explain how these whales locate food. For all this passage establishes, they could rely on sight for that task. We shouldn't supply outside information about whales to turn the stated hearing risk into a claim about hunting success.
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