PrepTest 146, Section 1, Question 13
Specially bred aquarium fish with brilliant coloration and(73 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- ASpecially bred aquarium(10 more words not shown)
- BConnoisseurs are not(6 more words not shown)
- CMost specially bred(6 more words not shown)
- DOrdinary fish tend(9 more words not shown)
- EStrangely shaped fins(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Looking unusual isn't the same as functioning well. These fish may impress collectors, but their elaborate tails or oddly shaped fins slow them down in the race for food. The result is that they're often underfed. The passage also says most of their offspring don't have the parents' distinctive tails and colors.
What we’re looking for
Does that make them 'inferior'? That depends on what someone values in a fish. A collector might care more about appearance than speed, and not every owner is trying to breed more fish with the same features. Still, we don't have to resolve that value judgment here. The question asks what the information most strongly supports.
Working the answers
- A
Being underfed doesn't establish that the fish cannot survive without special care. They might be thin and get less food than they otherwise would, yet remain alive. The passage doesn't say an owner must hand-feed them or provide some other special treatment to keep them alive.
- B
Liking the unusual fish doesn't mean connoisseurs have no interest in ordinary-looking fish. A person could appreciate both. The passage tells us one kind of fish may be popular with connoisseurs, not that their interest is exclusive.
- C
Popularity among connoisseurs doesn't tell us who buys most of these fish. Other buyers could include children, casual aquarium owners, or breeders. Without information about their purchases, we can't assign most sales to connoisseurs.
- DCorrect
The passage explains the specially bred fish's disadvantage by contrasting their elaborate tails or strange fins with the ordinary fish that reach food faster. That gives us good reason to think the ordinary fish generally lack those unusual features. D makes that modest, qualified claim: they 'tend not' to have them. We don't need to conclude that no ordinary fish could ever have an elaborate tail.
- E
The fish do reproduce: the passage discusses their offspring. What they don't reliably do is produce offspring with the same distinctive traits. That's different from having trouble reproducing at all. We also aren't told that tails or fins cause the offspring's different traits. Those features are identified as an obstacle to reaching food, not as an obstacle to reproduction.
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