The number of codfish in the North

Answer choices

1. A

   Opposite Impact4% picked this

   People who fish for cod commercially are inconvenienced by the presence of large numbers of seals

   If more seals mean that cod fishermen are inconvenienced, that would be GOOD for the cod. The fishermen are one of their predators. So this answer tells a story where more seals leads to more cod. We need a way to argue that more seals is leading to less cod.

   4%
2. B

   Irrelevant Comparison / Opposite (if anything)2% picked this

   Water pollution poses a more serious threat to cod than to

   We need a storyline for how more seals is leading to less cod, and this is telling us "water pollution is actually more likely harming cod".

   2%
3. C

   Opposite (if anything)2% picked this

   The harp seal thrives in water that is too cold to support a dense

   We want a story where more seals leads to less cod, and this answer is basically saying, "they wouldn't even hang out in the same water".

   2%
4. D

   Correct83% picked this

   Cod feed almost exclusively on capelin, a fish that is a staple of the

   Why this is right

   This suggests an indirect dietary link: harp seals eat capelin, which is what cod also primarily feed on. If the increase in seal population leads to competition for capelin, it indirectly impacts the cod population, giving us a way to argue that seals ARE significantly contributing to cod decline.

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

   83%
5. E

   Opposite9% picked this

   The cod population in the North Atlantic began to decline before the harp-seal population

   Choice E provides a timeline issue: if the cod decline began before seal numbers increased, the seal population growth is unlikely to be a contributing factor, which strengthens the conclusion that the seals aren't responsible for the decline in cod.

   9%