PrepTest 149, Section 1, Question 10
One adaptation that enables an animal species to(38 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(13 more words not shown)
- AMost species with(12 more words not shown)
- BNo form of(9 more words not shown)
- CAnimals of many(15 more words not shown)
- DConspicuous black-and-white areas(11 more words not shown)
- EBlack-and-white coloration is(15 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Unlikely to provide camouflage to whose eyes?
Imagine a brown squirrel blending into a tree as a predator passes. The same squirrel might stand out against grass. Camouflage depends on the setting and the observer; a color isn't simply protective everywhere or useless everywhere.
Here, speed or some other defense would be an easy thought, but the passage says these prey species have few or no other adaptations against predators. So I'd question our judgment of their black-and-white coloring. Maybe their surroundings make that pattern useful. Or maybe their predators see only in black and white, or otherwise see differently from us. That wouldn't automatically make the prey invisible, but it could change whether the pattern stands out.
What we’re looking for
To resolve the puzzle, I'd look for a reason the coloring works better than it appears to a human observer.
Working the answers
- A
Having more prey than predators doesn't explain how these species have endured with seemingly ineffective camouflage and few other defenses. The population comparison gives us no mechanism connecting their numbers to their survival. We still have the original puzzle about why their apparent vulnerability hasn't prevented them from lasting.
- B
Camouflage needn't defeat every kind of predator to help a species survive. But telling us no camouflage is perfect doesn't explain why this particular coloring provides useful protection. The puzzle isn't a demand for perfect safety; it's that black and white seems unlikely to camouflage the prey effectively at all.
- CCorrect
Predators don't necessarily see color and pattern the way we do. That gives us a reason our judgment of what stands out could be wrong: black-and-white prey might blend into the surroundings from a predator's perspective. C doesn't specifically say those predators see only black and white, and we shouldn't force it to. It supports the broader idea behind that prediction—that human vision may be a poor guide to what conceals these animals from their predators.
- D
This helps animals avoid others of their own species. The puzzle concerns avoiding predators from other species. A pattern that keeps two prey animals apart doesn't, without another connection, explain how either escapes being eaten.
- E
Being less of a liability at night doesn't necessarily make the coloring effective camouflage. We also aren't told that these animals face their predators mainly at night. E offers a comparison between two conditions without connecting the less harmful condition to the species' actual survival. C more directly challenges the assumption that the coloring looks ineffective to the relevant observer.
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