The northern cardinal, a nonmigratory

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct91% picked this

   Bird feeders, an important source of nutrition to wintering birds, became far more common in

   Why this is right

   This choice suggests that bird feeders became more common after 1980, providing an alternate explanation for the increase in cardinals by indicating that more abundant food sources (bird feeders) rather than warmer winters could be the reason for their population growth in Nova Scotia.

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

   91%
2. B

   No Impact1% picked this

   Because of their red plumage, northern cardinals are easier to spot than most other

   This states that Northern Cardinals are easier to spot than other birds, which doesn’t provide a reason for their population increase or challenge the link to warmer winters. It remains neutral and doesn’t affect the argument's causal claim.

   1%
3. C

   Unclear Impact1% picked this

   Some songbird species other than the northern cardinal also became more common between

   This offers weak support by stating that some species became more common elsewhere, which doesn’t address why Northern Cardinals specifically increased in Nova Scotia. The imprecision fails to provide a concrete alternate explanation or directly challenge the argument.

   1%
4. D

   Irrelevant Comparison3% picked this

   According to field observations, the populations of migratory birds fluctuated less during the period from 1980 to 2000 than

   This discusses population fluctuations between migratory and non-migratory birds, which doesn’t concern non-migratory Northern Cardinals directly nor address their increase in Nova Scotia.

   3%
5. E

   Opposite (if anything)4% picked this

   Birds that prey on songbirds became more common in Nova Scotia between

   This mentions that prey on songbirds became more common, suggesting an increased threat rather than a reason for more cardinals, thereby not providing an alternate explanation for their rise.

   4%