Logical Reasoning

PT111 · S4 · Q5 One of the advantages of Bacillus thuringiensis

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One of the advantages of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) toxins over chemical insecticides results from their specificity for pest insects.

Conclusion

B.t. toxins are preferable to chemical insecticides for use as components of insect pest management programs.

Evidence

B.t. toxins are specific to pest insects and have no known detrimental effects on mammals or birds.

The limited range of activity of B.t. toxins often allows them to kill pest species without affecting insects that prey on these species.

This advantage makes B.t. toxins a better choice than chemical insecticides.

Evaluate

This argument is a comparison between two options for pest management, B.t. toxins and chemical insecticides.

The premises highlight the benefits of B.t. toxins, emphasizing their safety to mammals and birds and their selective harm to pest insects without affecting beneficial predator insects.

The conclusion is that these advantages make B.t. toxins preferable.

To weaken this argument, we should look for an answer that suggests a significant downside or limitation of B.t. toxins that might outweigh the benefits, or an advantage of chemical insecticides that could make them more favorable than B.t. toxins for pest management.

Goal

Let's find an answer that exposes a downside to using B.t. toxins that challenges their supposed superiority over chemical insecticides in pest management programs.

Which one of the following statements, if true, most weakens the argument?

Chemical insecticides cause harm to
No Impact
This statement reinforces the idea presented in the argument that chemical insecticides are more harmful broadly than B.t. toxins, which does not weaken the preference for B.t. toxins.
3% picked this
No particular B.t. toxin is
No Impact
The statement that no particular B.t. toxin is effective against all insects aligns with the argument’s acknowledgment of the specificity of B.t. toxins. If a toxin can target certain species, we'd already assume it doesn't affect others. So this does not challenge the assertion that B.t. toxins are preferable due to their targeted effects.
3% picked this
B.t. toxins do not harm
No Impact
The fact that B.t. toxins do not harm weeds is irrelevant to the argument's focus, which concerns the impact on pest and non-pest insect populations. The inability to control weeds does not specifically count against B.t. toxins when focusing on insect management. If we knew that chemical pesticides not only kill insect pests but also get rid of pesky weeds, that might seem like a vote in favor of using chemical pesticides, but (A) we don't know that (B) that still wouldn't relate to Insect Management, which is all the conclusion is talking about
2% picked this
Correct
Insects build up resistance more
Why this is right
This is a significant drawback of using B.t. toxins, as it could undermine their long-term effectiveness in pest management. If pests develop resistance quickly, the supposed advantage of specificity could become a disadvantage, thus weakening the argument.
Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
89% picked this
Birds and rodents often do
No Impact
This does not directly affect the comparison between B.t. toxins and chemical insecticides since the focus is on the impact of these on insects, not other pest types.
3% picked this

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