PT155 S2 Q12 ExplanationAfter the disastrous 1986 accident

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   No Impact2% picked this

   Animals that did not arrive in the area around the Chernobyl nuclear plant until after the accident still developed high levels of

   This hasn't given us anything that changed about Chernobyl area, following the accident, that would help us to explain rapid expansion of wildlife populations.

   2%
2. B

   Too Weak3% picked this

   Some of the species that inhabit the region are migratory and so only live in the region for part of the year,

   The word "some" is usually wrong on Strengthen, Weaken, and Paradox, where we're looking to find the most impactful answer we can. At best, this answer could tell us why the population of animals after the accident "is not much lower" than before the accident ('most of them were shielded from the damage'). But we need to explain why the population "is much higher", and this answer hasn't introduced any change to the Chernobyl environment, following the accident, that promotes the expansion of wildlife.

   3%
3. C

   No Impact0% picked this

   The region affected by the release of radiation is very large, encompassing 1,800 square miles

   This doesn't give us anything that's changed about Chernobyl area, following the accident, that would help us to explain rapid expansion of wildlife populations. The region was always this size. That's a constant. We need a change to explain a change.

   0%
4. D

   Too Weak2% picked this

   While some of the radioactive chemicals released by the accident depress fertility in local birds,

   Just like (B), this answer is very weak ('some') and all it's doing is trying to limit the damage the radiation would have done. It has no power to explain the growth in populations. We could say, "The reason wildlife populations haven't disappeared is that only some of the radioactive chemicals lower fertility". But we can't say, "The reason that wildlife populations have rapidly expanded is that only some of the radiation is harming them." Okay, but why are they rapidly expanding?

   2%
5. E

   Correct93% picked this

   The threat of radiation poisoning drove people out of the area, which opened up new habitat for wildlife and

   Why this is right

   Here we have an answer that introduces something that changed, in the aftermath of the accident, that could explain why wildlife populations are expanding: new habitat and less danger from hunters.

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

   93%