Logical Reasoning

PT135 · S1 · Q12 Populations of a shrimp species

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Populations of a shrimp species at eleven different Indonesian coral reefs show substantial genetic differences from one reef to another.

Apparent Paradox

Populations of a shrimp species at eleven different Indonesian coral reefs show substantial genetic differences from one reef to another.

This is surprising because the area’s strong ocean currents probably carry baby shrimp between the different reefs, which would allow the populations to interbreed and become genetically indistinguishable.

Evaluate

The apparent paradox is that shrimp species show substantial genetic differences when the ocean currents probably carry baby shrimp between the eleven different Indonesian coral reefs.

12.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the substantial genetic differences among the shrimp populations?

  1. The genetic differences between the

    Irrelevant Comparison

    Minimizing the genetic differences between the shrimp populations does not eliminate them. Nor does it explain why those differences exist.

    1% picked this

  2. The individual shrimp within a

    Irrelevant Comparison

    The differences discussed in the stimulus are between the populations of shrimp and not between individual members of one population.

    13% picked this

  3. Correct

    Before breeding, shrimp of the

    Why this is right

    This helps to explain why the shrimp show substantial genetic differences. Since the shrimp return to the coral reef at which they were hatched they are not interbreeding with the shrimp hatched at the other coral reefs.

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

    73% picked this

  4. Most shrimp hatched at a

    Too Weak

    This could be explained by those shrimp becoming lunch for other marine animals. This does not necessarily imply that those shrimp that are no longer present at the coral reef are now somewhere else.

    5% picked this

  5. Ocean currents probably carry many

    Too Weak

    That some shrimp are carried out into the open ocean does not imply that there are no shrimp being carried from one reef to another. Furthermore, even if it did this would only resolve the paradox by undermining one of the claims that the correct answer is supposed to reconcile.

    8% picked this

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