PrepTest 151, Section 3, Question 23
Researchers have found that some unprotected areas outside(24 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(9 more words not shown)
- AMoose are much(26 more words not shown)
- BThe researchers also(23 more words not shown)
- CResearchers tagged a(19 more words not shown)
- DBoth inside the(22 more words not shown)
- EThe park was(25 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The birds don't have to stay inside the boundary just because we drew it to protect them.
What we’re looking for
Maybe there is better food outside, better habitat, or fewer predators. A park's purpose doesn't guarantee it gives every species the best conditions. The puzzle is why certain birds are more numerous in comparable unprotected areas, so I'd look for some advantage those areas offer. Movement across the boundary would be possible, but we still need a reason for the larger population outside.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
The protected area has more moose, and those moose eat much of the food the birds need. Protecting the moose from hunting can therefore create a disadvantage for the birds: more competition for food.
Outside the park, fewer moose can leave more of that shared food available. That explains how an unprotected area could support more birds despite the park's protective purpose. We don't need there to be no moose outside, or no food left inside. The difference in competition supplies a reason for the difference in bird numbers.
- B
A similar pattern among reptiles gives us another observation to explain. It doesn't identify a condition that makes the outside areas better for birds. Maybe the two patterns share a cause, but B doesn't tell us what that cause is.
- C
This confirms that some birds cross the park boundary, which fits my initial thought. But it doesn't tell us why the outside areas have more birds. Birds could move in both directions, and merely finding some tagged birds outside doesn't establish an advantage there or explain the population difference.
- D
Suitable habitat on both sides doesn't explain why the populations differ. If both areas have the riverside growth these birds thrive on, we still need a relevant difference, such as the competition for food in A.
- E
Calling these species endangered doesn't explain why they are more numerous outside. It reinforces that they are the kinds of birds the park was meant to protect, but it doesn't identify anything about the conditions inside or outside that produces the unexpected result.
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