Navigation in animals is defined

Answer choices

1. A

   No Impact7% picked this

   The polar bear stopped and changed course several times as it moved toward

   Stopping and changing course several times doesn't undermine the evidence that the bear returned home over a considerable distance. It doesn't address how the bear managed it or cast doubt on the overall evidence presented by the naturalists.

   7%
2. B

   Correct85% picked this

   The site at which the polar bear was released was on the bear’s

   Why this is right

   If the site where the bear was released was on its annual migration route, this could mean that the bear was not in unfamiliar territory at all. It could have simply followed a known path, meaning this instance does not necessarily demonstrate navigational ability from "unfamiliar territory," as defined in navigation.

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

   85%
3. C

   No Impact1% picked this

   The route along which the polar bear traveled consisted primarily of snow

   The condition of the route (snow and drifting ice) does not inherently undermine evidence that the bear found its way home over a considerable distance. It doesn't address any potential familiarity or prior experience of the bear with the area.

   1%
4. D

   No Impact2% picked this

   Polar bears are only one of many species of mammal whose members have been known to find their

   The fact that other mammals find their way home over considerable distances doesn't undermine the evidence specific to polar bears. The claim and evidence concern polar bears specifically, so information about other species doesn't affect this claim.

   2%
5. E

   Weaker Impact5% picked this

   Polar bears often rely on their extreme sensitivity to smell in order to scent

   This might seem like it weakens by offering an alternate explanation for how that polar bear got home. "It wasn't a navigational sense, it was just their sense of smell!" However, this would be a deeply implausible storyline, because the polar bear was 300 miles from home. No matter how good your sense of scent is, you're not smelling something 300 miles away. It's much more plausible to say "a bear could find its way home, from a spot on a route it takes every year" than to say "a bear could smell its way home from 300 miles away".

   5%