Self-study
Red admiral butterflies fly in a highly irregular fashion, constantly varying their speed, wing strokes, and flight path. █████ █████████ █████ █████████ █████████ ████████ ████████████ ███████████ ████ ███ ███ ███████ ████ ██ █████ █████████ ██ ████████ ██████████ █████████ ███████████ ████ ███ ███ █████████ ██████ ██████ █████ ██ ███████ ███ ██████ ██████████ ███████ ██ █ █████ ██ ████████ ██████████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that the irregular flight style of the red admiral evolved as a means of avoiding predators. This is based on the fact that nonpoisonous butterflies like the red admiral need to avoid predators to survive. In addition, the irregular flight style is not energy efficient (which eliminates one potential explanation for that flight style).
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes there’s no other explanation for the irregular flight style besides avoidance of predators. The author also assumes that poisonous butterflies do not have an irregular flight style.
9.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ███████████ ███ ███████ ███ ███ ███████████ ███████████
a
No species of █████████ █████████ ███ ██ █████████ ██████ █████ ████ ████ ██ ███ ███ ████████
This affirms the assumption that poisonous butterflies don’t have the irregular flight style. If this were not true, then that would suggest the flight style might not have to do with avoiding predators, because poisonous butterflies wouldn’t need to avoid them.
Plausibility
Plausibility
Presenting evidence that corroborates (in Strengthen) or conflicts (in Weaken) with the author's hypothesized explanation or the predictions that follow from that explanation.
b
Attacks from predators ███ ███ ███ ████ ██████ █████ ██ █████ ███ ████████████
Whether predators are the most common cause of death doesn’t relate to the purpose of the irregular flight style. Butterflies could fly irregularly to avoid predators regardless of whether they are the most common or second most common cause of death.
c
Many other types ██ █████████ ████ ██████ ██████ ███████ ██ ████ ██ ███ ███ ████████
But are those other types of butterfly nonpoisonous? And do they use the flight style to avoid predators? Without knowing the answer to these questions, (C) doesn’t help connect the red admiral’s flight style to avoiding predators.
d
It is much ████ ██████ █████████ ███ ███████████ ██ ███ ██ ██ █████████ ███████ ████ ██ ██ ███ ███████ █████████ ██ ████████
We already know from the premises that the irregular flight style is not energy efficient. Whether it’s more efficient for red admirals than it would be for other insects has no impact. It’s not energy efficient for red admirals.
e
All of the █████████ ████ ████ ██ ███ ███ ███████ ████ ████ ██ █████ ███████ ██ ████████████ ████████████
And do the other nonpoisonous butterflies try to fly irregularly? Without knowing the answer to this question, (E) doesn’t have a clear impact on the relationship between the red admiral’s flight pattern and whether its used to avoid predators.