PrepTest 146, Section 2, Question 7
Naturalist: Different nonhuman primate species exhibit many contrasts(66 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AOrangutans are the(5 more words not shown)
- BOrangutans have better(4 more words not shown)
- CSome nonhuman primates(4 more words not shown)
- DOrangutans dislike being(5 more words not shown)
- ENot all nonhuman(4 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The orangutan seems to have a plan for that screwdriver. It pretends not to notice, then may use it when the zookeeper is gone. The chimpanzee examines it openly and moves on.
What we’re looking for
Can we turn that contrast into a broad judgment about which animal is smarter? Not safely. A chimpanzee might understand what the tool could do and still have no interest in escaping. One example of different behavior doesn't settle every difference in ability or motivation. Also, 'may' doesn't tell us that every orangutan tries this. For the question asking what is most strongly supported, stay close to the behavior actually described. We don't need an explanation of every difference between the animals.
Working the answers
- A
We can't establish the most intelligent primate from this comparison. We haven't even established a general intelligence ranking between orangutans and chimpanzees. And the passage doesn't compare either of them with every other kind of nonhuman primate. A adds both a broader ability claim and a much broader comparison.
- B
Waiting until later to use the screwdriver doesn't show a better memory than the chimpanzee's. The chimp could remember the tool perfectly and simply choose to do something else. The difference described isn't a test of which animal remembers more.
- CCorrect
The orangutan pretends to ignore the screwdriver. That is a display of indifference that hides its interest in the tool. This gives us support for some nonhuman primates being capable of deception. We don't have to establish that every orangutan always does this or that orangutans are the cleverest primates.
- D
The different responses needn't reflect different degrees of dislike for the cage. The animals might dislike confinement equally but respond differently to the tool. We aren't given a comparison of how strongly they want to leave.
- E
Not using a tool for a particular purpose doesn't show that an animal fails to understand tools. The chimpanzee might know what a screwdriver does without choosing to dismantle its cage. E changes a difference in what the animals do into an unsupported claim about what some cannot understand.
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