If one of the effects of

Answer choices

1. A

   Compatible3% picked this

   A species possesses a trait whose effects are all neutral for the survival

   There aren't any rules provided about "possessing" a trait, just whether a trait is favored or not. It's certainly possible for a species to have a mutation whose effects are all neutral. We would say "that is NOT a favored mutation", but it's still possible for the species to possess it.

   3%
2. B

   Compatible7% picked this

   All the effects of some genetic mutations contribute substantially to the survival

   This doesn't contradict anything we heard about. We would certainly call these mutations favored.

   7%
3. C

   Compatible13% picked this

   A species possesses a trait that reduces the species’

   There aren't any rules provided about "possessing" a trait, just whether a trait is favored or not. It's certainly possible for a species to have a mutation whose effects are negative. We would say "that is NOT a favored mutation", but it's still possible for the species to possess it.

   13%
4. D

   Compatible13% picked this

   A genetic mutation that carries along several negative traits is favored

   This is the first tempting answer, because it deals with "whether or not favored". We were looking for an answer to either say: mutation is a net gain + not favored or mutation is not a net gain + favored This says that the mutation carries several negative traits, yet is favored. That's possible, since the mutation may also carry along some positive traits. If the positive outweighs the negative, then it would be a net gain, and so it would be favored. In other words, this answer doesn't clearly establish whether this mutation is a net gain, or not a net gain, so there's no way to apply the rule we were given.

   13%
5. E

   Correct64% picked this

   A genetic mutation whose effects are all neutral to a species is favored

   Why this is right

   We were looking for an answer to either say: mutation is a net gain + not favored or mutation is not a net gain + favored This does the 2nd one. If the effects are all neutral, then the mutation does not make a net gain, so it should not be considered favored. If we go back to the original text of the rule, it says that if a genetic mutation makes a substantial contribution to the survival of the species (this mutation does not, since it's all neutral), then and only then can it be favored. So this answer is contradicting that first sentence.

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

   64%