StrengthenDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: The bird watcher thinks the doves are disappearing because the new sprinklers in the orchards ruined their favorite nesting spots.
Conclusion: The decline in the local mourning-dove population is likely caused by the loss of nesting habitat.
Reasoning: Doves stopped nesting in nearby orchards immediately after overhead sprinklers were installed, which happened around the same time the population dropped.
Analysis: To strengthen this causal claim, we need to tighten the link between the sprinklers and the overall population decline. The current evidence is purely correlational: the sprinklers arrived, and the birds left the orchard. We should look for an answer that rules out alternative explanations, such as a sudden increase in predators or a disease. Alternatively, an answer that shows the doves didn't just move to a different, equally good nesting site nearby would significantly bolster the idea that the loss of the orchard habitat was the actual deal-breaker for the population.
Conclusion: The decline in the local mourning-dove population is likely caused by the loss of nesting habitat.
Reasoning: Doves stopped nesting in nearby orchards immediately after overhead sprinklers were installed, which happened around the same time the population dropped.
Analysis: To strengthen this causal claim, we need to tighten the link between the sprinklers and the overall population decline. The current evidence is purely correlational: the sprinklers arrived, and the birds left the orchard. We should look for an answer that rules out alternative explanations, such as a sudden increase in predators or a disease. Alternatively, an answer that shows the doves didn't just move to a different, equally good nesting site nearby would significantly bolster the idea that the loss of the orchard habitat was the actual deal-breaker for the population.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage26.Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
Correct Answer
B
If the orchard trees were the only type of trees in the area attractive to nesting mourning doves, then stopping nesting in the orchards amounts to losing essentially all suitable local nesting habitat. That directly supports the causal claim that habitat loss drove the population decrease.
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