Birds need so much food energy

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong4% picked this

   Birds of different species do not generally have the same overall energy requirements

   Too Strong: Generally Out of Scope: Reality vs. Hypothetical This argument is only about a hypothetical comparison between two types of birds that do have the same energy requirements. Whether that ever occurs, rarely occurs, or usually occurs in real life is totally irrelevant to judging the author's hypothetical.

   4%
2. B

   Negation Doesn't Weaken5% picked this

   The nectar-eating bird does not sometimes also

   If we negate this and say, "the nectar-eating bird does sometimes also eat seeds", would that weaken? i.e. Would that help us argue that the nectar-eating species spends more time eating than the seed-eating bird? No, it would kind of strengthen the conclusion. If the nectar-eating bird is getting great energy from nectar and then also getting some energy from seeds, then it could hit its energy requirement in less time than the seed-eating bird, which just reinforces the conclusion.

   5%
3. C

   Correct73% picked this

   The time it takes for the nectar-eating bird to eat a given amount of nectar is not longer than the time it takes the

   Why this is right

   If we negate this and say, "the time it takes for a nectar-eating bird to eat a given amount of nectar does take more time than a seed-eating bird needs to eat the same amount of seeds", would that weaken? i.e. Would that help us argue that the nectar-eating species spends more time eating than the seed-eating bird? Yes! We can say, "Sure, author, a given amount of nectar has more energy in it than does the same amount of seeds, but it takes a lot longer to consume that nectar." Thus, in the end the seed-eater might get to its energy requirement sooner than the nectar-eater. Maybe seeds only provide 2 units of energy (whereas nectar provides 3 units), but if it takes a bird 5 seconds to eat a seed and 20 seconds to eat the same amount of nectar, then the seed eater can eat 4 seeds in 20 seconds (8 units of energy) in the same time that the nectar eater can eat 3 units of nectar. To go back to the analogy of quarter-collectors vs. dime-collectors trying to accrue $10, if we say that "it's takes a lot longer to find a quarter than it does to find a dime", then the dime collector has an improved chance of winning the race to $10.

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

   73%
4. D

   Negation Doesn't Weaken9% picked this

   The seed-eating bird does not have a lower body temperature than that of

   If we negate this and say, "the seed-eating bird does have a lower body temp than the nectar-eating bird has", would that weaken? i.e. Would that help us argue that the nectar-eating species spends more time eating than the seed-eating bird? No, it's totally irrelevant. Body temperature relates to how much energy a bird needs, but in this argument we're controlling for how much energy a bird needs. Both birds have the same overall energy requirement, so whether that comes from them having equivalent body temps, or asymmetric body temps (seed eaters need more/less than nectar eaters) it won't make any difference.

   9%
5. E

   Negation Doesn't Weaken9% picked this

   The overall energy requirements of a given bird do not depend on factors such as the size of the bird, its nest-building habits, and

   If we negate this and say, "the overall energy requirements do depend on on other factors in addition to body temp", would that weaken? i.e. Would that help us argue that the nectar-eating species spends more time eating than the seed-eating bird? No, it's totally irrelevant, because this argument is judging a hypothetical comparison in which the two bird species have the same overall energy requirement. The backstory of how they got to that same energy requirement (whatever combo of size, habitat, body temp, etc.) makes no difference.

   9%