Ticks attach themselves to host animals to feed

Answer choices

1. A

   Unsupported9% picked this

   Deer ticks all attach themselves to white-footed mice during the same part of the day, regardless

   The premises tell us when ticks drop off, not when they attach. In fact, the stimulus explicitly says deer ticks drop off between noon and sunset "regardless of time of attachment" — meaning attachment can happen at various times of day. So the claim that all ticks attach at the same part of the day is unsupported, and arguably contradicted.

   9%
2. B

   Contradicted11% picked this

   Deer ticks sometimes drop off their hosts without having fed

   The first sentence says ticks drop off after feeding to capacity — and "not before then." So ticks cannot drop off without having fed. This answer says they sometimes do, which directly contradicts the premise.

   11%
3. C

   Correct75% picked this

   Deer ticks that feed off white-footed mice drop off their hosts in

   Why this is right

   This follows from chaining the premises. Deer ticks drop off white-footed mice between noon and sunset. White-footed mice spend all daytime hours in their underground nests. So when the tick drops off, the mouse is in its nest — and the tick drops off inside the nest. The conclusion is properly drawn.

   Skill tested: Must be True · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   75%
4. D

   Unsupported2% picked this

   White-footed mice to which deer ticks have attached themselves are not aware

   The stimulus says nothing about whether mice are aware of the ticks attached to them. We get information about feeding behavior, drop-off timing, and mouse habits, but mouse awareness is just not addressed.

   2%
5. E

   Unsupported2% picked this

   White-footed mice are hosts to stable numbers of deer ticks, regardless of season

   Nothing in the stimulus addresses how many ticks a typical mouse hosts, let alone whether that number is stable across seasons. The stimulus discusses tick behavior on a single mouse, not seasonal infestation rates.

   2%