Ringtail opossums are an Australian

Answer choices

1. A

   Opposite (if anything)5% picked this

   There are fewer non-native predator species that prey on the ringtail opossum than there are native species that

   The number of non-native vs. native predator species doesn't affect whether non-native predators are the main threat over food scarcity. The argument is concerned with impact, not quantity. But even if we equated number with impact, this is diminishing the importance of non-native predators, which works against the author's hypothesis that non-native predators are the reason for the opossum's endangered status.

   5%
2. B

   Irrelevant Comparison1% picked this

   Foxes, which were introduced into Australia over 200 years ago, adapted to the Australian climate less successfully than

   Foxes' success in adapting compared to other non-native species doesn't address whether predation by non-native species like foxes is the primary danger to the ringtail opossum.

   1%
3. C

   No Impact13% picked this

   The ringtail opossums that were raised in captivity were fed a diet similar to that which ringtail opossums

   The diet of captured opossums being similar to that of wild ones does not address the argument about the primary cause of their endangerment, which is focused on predation. It might feel like this is ruling out an alternate explanation -- "the captive opossums who were released into the wild didn't die because they had been raised on an atypical diet while in captivity" But we already know why those released opossums died (they were eaten by foxes). And the conclusion isn't specifically about the opossums in captivity; it's about the endangered status of that species overall.

   13%
4. D

   No Impact6% picked this

   Few of the species that compete with the ringtail opossum for food sources are

   This can be re-worded as "most species competing with the opossum for food are non-native". That sort of sounds like, "non-native species are a problem for the opossum" but the hypothesis is specifically about non-native predators, animals who eat opossums, not animals who eat the same food as opossums.

   6%
5. E

   Correct74% picked this

   Ringtail opossums that grow to adulthood in the wild defend themselves against foxes no more successfully than do

   Why this is right

   This provides support for the claim that non-native predators, like foxes, pose a significant threat. If opossums raised in the wild fare no better against foxes than those raised in captivity, it suggests the issue isn't about a lack of natural defenses developed in the wild but rather the overwhelming threat from non-native species. Someone might have objected to this argument by saying, "the fact that foxes killed most of the released opossums doesn't show that foxes are a big threat to the species -- it just shows that foxes are a big threat to sheltered opossums who didn't know how to act in the wild." This answer shuts down that line of objection by saying, "No, the wild opossums are equally bad at defending themselves from fox attacks."

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

   74%