Self-study
Scientists have shown that Support older bees, which usually forage outside the hive for food, tend to have larger brains than do younger bees, which usually do not forage but instead remain in the hive to tend to newly hatched bees. █████ ████████ ████████ ███████ █████████ ███████ ████ ████ ███████ ██ █████ ███████ █████ ██ ███████ ████ ████████ █████ ██ ███ █████████ █████ ████ ██ █████ █████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that foraging causes increased brain size in bees. This is based on the fact that older bees tend to have larger brains than do younger bees, and older bees are more likely to forage than are younger bees. In addition, foraging requires greater cognitive ability than what younger bees do.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that the correlation between foraging and larger brains is not explained by something else besides foraging causing larger brains. This overlooks the possibility that bees’ brains naturally get larger as they get older, and since older bees are the ones that forage, we see a correlation between foraging and larger brains.
14.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ █████████ ███████ ███ ████████ ██████
a
Bees that have ███████ ███ █ ████ ████ ██ ███ ████ █████████████ ██████ ██████ ████ ██ ████ ████ ████ ███████ ███ █ ███████ █████
The author never suggested that the length of time one forages will cause significant differences in brain size. The hypothesis is simply that engaging in foraging increases brain size. The effects might occur immediately rather than over time; the author never says otherwise.
Illusory inconsistency
Illusory inconsistency
Answer is attractive because it seems to (but doesn't actually) contradict the premises or conclusion.
b
The brains of █████ ████ ████ ████ ████████ ██ ████ ██ █████ ████████████████ ██ ███ ██████ ███████ █████ ████ ████ █████████
The author never suggested that the causal impact of foraging on brain size is only temporary. The hypothesis is that foraging increases brain size; that increased brain size might remain even if foraging stops.
c
Those bees that ██████ █ ████ ████████ ██ ████ ████ ██ ███ ████ █████████████ ██████ ██████ ████ ██ ████ ████ ██████ ████ ██████ ███ █████
The author never suggested that foraging distance will impact brain size. The hypothesis is simply that foraging increases brain size; the kind of foraging or the distances traveled might not matter.
d
In some species ██ █████ ███ ██████ ██ █████ ████ ███ ████ ██████████ ██████ ████ █████ ██ ███████ █████
This still indicates that the brains of older bees are larger than the brains of younger bees. The author never suggested that foraging had to create a significant difference in brain size.
e
The brains of █████ ████ ████ █████ █████ ██ ██████ ███ ███ ████ ████ ██ █████ ██ █████ ████████ ████████████ ██ ███ ████ ████
This provides evidence that the true cause of larger brains in the older bees is not foraging, but might be age. If foraging were the cause, we’d expect foragers to have larger brains than non-foragers. But (E) shows this isn’t the case.
Alternate explanation
Alternate explanation
Weaken: Introduce or support an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
Strengthen: Helps to eliminate an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.