PT58 S1 Q24

babybenny

I chose D but the answer is E. I still don't understand why D is wrong.
If the bear population in areas of the Abbimac Valley outside the Kiffer Forest Preserve has decreased, I think it can weaken the conclusion.
So Why can't D be an answer? And why is E right?
What's the difference between them?

Please someone explain me.
Thanks!

nye8870

Hey there @babybenny To understand better I changed the scenario from bears to people in Chicago (where I am from). Let's say 1 million people live in the city of Chicago and for eight years a main thoroughfare running in the middle of Lincoln Park (an upscale neighborhood within the city limits) has been closed. During this time, for whatever reason, (less traffic, perhaps) the population of Lincoln Park doubled. The altered conclusion would attempt to say that: if the thoroughfare remains closed the population of "Chicago" will increase. Of course that might be true -As long as they are new (additional) people moving in to Lincoln Park. Basically, what ac(E) presents is a scenario in which the population of Chicago remained constant all the while the Lincoln Park part was doubling. If that is true then the only logical conclusion is that the people moving to Lincoln Park were from Chicago already (never left just moved to another part). Another analogy is like squeezing a water balloon. One side swells up but the amount of water stays the same. This question is tricky mostly because it is challenging to get clear about the regional aspect.

babybenny

Hi, @nye8870! Thanks for the explanation. Now I can understand why E is an answer, but can you tell me why D is wrong?
I think D can weaken the argument too and I still cannot see why it is wrong.

Thanks in advance!

c.janson35

Hey Benny,

I can see why you chose D--it is a tempting answer. What you have to ask yourself is: if the bear population around the preserve has decreased, does this mean that the road closure is not what is causing the Bears to migrate to the preserve? It could be that the road closure is the exact reason why bears from surrounding reasons are migrating to the valley, and thus increasing the population. So, if the road is kept closed, maybe it is the case that bears will continue to migrate to its more hospitable areas.

Hope this helps!