Logical Reasoning

PT128 · S3 · Q15 The number of deer living

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The number of deer living in North America has increased dramatically since the 1960s even though hunters kill no fewer deer today.

Background

Since the 1960s ... Hunters kill at least as many deer. Natural predators of deer are on the rise. Suburbs are increasingly encroaching on deer habitats.

Surprise

Since the 1960s ... The number of deer has increased dramatically.

Evaluate / Goal

Given all these factors that are working against deer, we need an answer to tell us something positive for deer that would help explain why their numbers have increased dramatically.

15.

Which one of the following, if true, would most help to explain the apparent discrepancy described above?

  1. Correct

    Pesticides that adversely affected most

    Why this is right

    This is definitely not a strong answer, since it's generic to "most wildlife", so we don't know for sure whether it applies to deer, but it probably applies to deer (since it applies to most wildlife). The removal of pesticides that adversely affect deer is a good thing for deer, a thing that could explain population growth.

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

    56% picked this

  2. Recently, attempts have been made

    Too Weak

    This just lessens a negative. Suburbs were an increasing negative influence on deer populations and this answer is saying that we're trying to lessen the damage that influence does. It would potentially explain why deer aren't decreasing as much as we thought they would have. But it doesn't offer any reason why the deer population would be increasing dramatically.

    13% picked this

  3. The number of deer hunters

    Cheats the Paradox

    In order for us to use this fact to explain why deer population growth is soaring, we'd have to think, "since there are fewer deer hunters, there is less deer hunting / fewer deer being hunted to death". However, we were told that hunters kill at least as many deer as before. (apparently the smaller number of hunters has compensated by killing more deer than before, since the total killed is at least as great as before) So the story we would try to tell with this answer choice would violate one of the background constraints of the paradox.

    22% picked this

  4. Much of the increase in

    Unrelated to Goal

    We're not trying to explain why the number of wolves is on the rise. We're trying to explain why the number of deer is on the rise, given all these forces mobilizing against them.

    7% picked this

  5. The greater the number of

    Opposite

    This sounds like a force that would lower / limit the population of deer. As they get numerous, they get beaten back down by problems like famine and disease. We wanted a factor that would encourage larger numbers of deer.

    3% picked this

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