- Whiteboard
- Flag
-
A deadly virus that has claimed the lives of local villagers has been traced to the spotted fruit bat, in which the virus resides between periodic outbreaks. Biologists speculate that the bat might also be one of the reservoirs for a number of other viruses that have led to village fatalities. The local government has proposed to eliminate the spotted fruit bat by cutting off passageways that allow the bat to emerge from its caves. Once the bat is unable to emerge from the caves, the government will have achieved its objective of reducing the number of village deaths attributable to viruses.
Which of the following, if true, would best indicate that the government’s plan will not lead to its objective?
Title
A deadly virus that has claimed the
Your Result
Correct
Difficulty
Hard
Your Pace
0:03
Others' Pace
2:11
Video Explanation
Text Explanation
Premise #1 – Deadly virus resides SFB (spotted fruit bat).
Premise #2 – The government will make it so the bat will no longer be able to escape the cave.
Conclusion: If the bat cannot escape the cave, the number of people dying from viruses will decrease.
(A) While tempting, (A) doesn’t say that the caves are the only source of guano for the country. There are presumably other caves besides the ones in which the SFB dwells. Even if we assume that guano only comes from SFB caves, the fact that the company loses revenue does not directly tie to the fact that villagers are perishing from viruses.
(B) There is something wishy-washy about this answer. We don’t know that these other bats are actually transmitting a virus to humans who are then dying. Also, the "has been reported” is not that conclusive. Again, even if those bats are biting people, we have no way of knowing if they even have the virus in the first place.
(C) If the bat is not there to help the flower germinate, then the villagers will no longer be able to make the serum that can cure villagers of a viral infection. Therefore, the number of people succumbing to viruses will increase, which is the exact opposite of the conclusion: “reducing the number of deaths attributable to viruses”. Notice that (C) talks about viral infections in general, and not the viral infection that the spotted fruit bat is responsible for. Remember, the prompt states that there are a number of other viruses that have led to villages. That the spotted fruit bat might be responsible is wishy-washy.
(D) The government only needs to be successful only at plugging up the caves. Whether any person can reach deep inside the caves is unimportant.
(E) This answer choice suggests that the plan will work. We need a weakener.
Related Lessons
Watch the lessons below for more detailed explanations of the concepts tested in this question. And don't worry, you'll be able to return to this answer from the lesson page.
