PT2.S2.Q18 - Breeding success of birds

isdmyungisdmyung Member
edited February 2021 in Logical Reasoning 121 karma

I am having trouble understanding why AC B is the correct answer and why AC C is not the correct answer. They both seem to weaken the argument to me. I can see that AC B directly cracks at the premise of how bird nesting for first timers are less successful than older birds and also less successful than they themselves are a year later. Why is AC C not expressing the same idea?

Comments

  • McBeck418McBeck418 Member
    500 karma

    Hi,

    So it looks like the stim is talking about birds and nesting. It argues that because birds get better at reproducing the longer they nest, and since they're fully grown when they leave the nest, it must be that nesting experience benefits more successful breeding.

    Since it's a weakening question, we want to find a reason to doubt that nesting experience is the reason for more successful years.

    B does this. B says, it's not necesarily nesting experience, but the fact that birds tend to lay more viable eggs as they go. If only 2 of their 6 eggs are viable the first year and 4 of the 6 eggs they lay are viable the next, it would fill the gap which exists in the stimulus.

    C. seems to repeat information from the premises the stimulus provides us. The stimulus tells us that first time birds are less successful than older birds (presumably with more experience) and even when compared to themselves. The AC tells us breeding is more successful the second time. Answer C doesn't tell us why this happens, just that it does.

    A - This is irrelevant
    D - size doesn't matter.
    E - also irrelevant.

  • isdmyungisdmyung Member
    121 karma

    Thank you for the response, the explanations make it more clearer for me to understand.

    I am still confused about one detail. I thought the stimulus also said that "also less successful than they themselves are a year later." Am I misinterpreting the stimulus here? I thought AC C said the reverse of that part of stimulus.

  • McBeck418McBeck418 Member
    edited February 2021 500 karma

    It does say this. It’s a weird, overly complicated sentence. The way that I would write/read the sentence is like this: Birds who nest for the first time are less successful at breeding than older birds. They are also less successful their first time than they are a year later when they do it again. This would make sense, if we are arguing experience. A bird who is nesting for a second time, would have more experience and therefore, they would be better at it the second time.

    It is a really poorly constructed sentence, but I don’t think it means that birds are worse at breeding in their second year compared to their first.

  • isdmyungisdmyung Member
    121 karma

    I reread both of your comments and I think I get it now.

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