PrepTest 138, Section 3, Question 8
Some claim that migratory birds have an innate(78 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- ANeither migratory birds(7 more words not shown)
- BThere is as(12 more words not shown)
- CStudies testing whether(15 more words not shown)
- DThe ability to(15 more words not shown)
- EIt is as(23 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Do the birds have a built-in GPS, or do they recognize the route?
A bird might spot a familiar lake and keep flying south, much as a person recognizes a landmark and knows where to turn. That's a possible explanation for returning to the same place. Successful navigation alone doesn't tell us whether the bird has the proposed innate homing sense.
The author also says the studies are inconclusive. Together, the uncertain research and the landmark possibility support a cautious point: there is little evidence for the innate-homing explanation. The author isn't proving that birds lack the ability. They might have it; we just haven't been given much reason to accept that they do.
What we’re looking for
For the main conclusion, keep that distinction. We want the claim about the weakness of the support, not a definite denial of the ability or one of the reasons for doubting it.
Working the answers
- A
This says neither birds nor humans has the ability. The argument doesn't establish that. Little evidence for a claim is compatible with the claim being true, so A turns uncertainty into a categorical rejection.
- BCorrect
There is little reason so far to accept that birds have an innate homing sense. The inconclusive studies and the possible use of landmarks explain why the author takes that position. 'Little reason to accept' preserves the author's limited conclusion; it doesn't say the claim has been disproved.
- C
The author says this, but uses it as a reason. Why is there little evidence for the belief? Because the studies are inconclusive. C gives that support rather than the conclusion it supports.
- D
The author presents using landmarks as an alternative explanation for finding the way home. The passage doesn't settle whether the ability to use landmarks is itself innate. Nor is that the main point; the argument concerns the support for a particular homing sense.
- E
The comparison with humans illustrates why repeatedly getting home doesn't establish an innate sense of direction. It doesn't declare both claims false. E changes a comparison about inadequate evidence into a conclusion about what neither species possesses.
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