Logical Reasoning

PT127 · S3 · Q13 Tent caterpillars' routes between

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Tent caterpillars' routes between their nests and potential food sources are marked with chemical traces called pheromones that the caterpillars leave behind.

Evidence

Tent caterpillars' routes between their nests and potential food sources are marked with chemical traces called pheromones that the caterpillars leave behind.

Routes from food sources back to the nest are marked more heavily than are merely exploratory routes that have failed to turn up a food source.

Conclusion (thus)

Tent caterpillars are apparently among the insect species that engage in communal foraging, which consists in the conveying of information concerning the location of food to other members of the colony, nest, or hive.

Evaluate

The argument assumes that the marking of routes by pheromones is intended to communicate a message to other caterpillars.

13.

Which one of the following, if true, adds the most support to the argument?

  1. Correct

    A hungry tent caterpillar is

    Why this is right

    This makes the pheromones left by returning caterpillars more likely to be a form of communication—something that entails both a message sent and a message received.

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

    79% picked this

  2. Tent caterpillars can detect the

    Weakens

    This makes it less likely that the difference in the amount of pheromones on caterpillar routes is meant to transmit information to other caterpillars.

    1% picked this

  3. Sometimes individual tent caterpillars will

    Too Weak

    This is too weak to have an impact on the purpose of pheromones left by caterpillars on their routes.

    4% picked this

  4. The pheromones left by tent

    Irrelevant Comparison

    The issue is whether tent caterpillars are communicating with other tent caterpillars, so any difference in the pheromones between different kinds of animals is not relevant.

    10% picked this

  5. The pheromones that tent caterpillars

    Out of Scope - Other Group

    Whether other species of caterpillars can detect the pheromones left by tent caterpillars is not relevant to the purpose of those pheromones being left by tent caterpillars.

    7% picked this

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