Q1 - For the first few weeks after

[mshinners]

Question Type:
Explain/Resolve

Stimulus Breakdown:
Expected: The dunnart would have thick skin, similar to other animals, to control body temp and water loss.
Unexpected: The dunnart has thin skin and lives in a pouch.

Answer Anticipation:
The pouch serves the function of thick skin - protecting from body temperature, water loss, and bullies.

Correct answer:
(D)

Answer choice analysis:
(A) Out of scope. The weirdness is around skin, temperature, and water loss. The breathing is a side note.

(B) Unwarranted comparison. The maintenance of temperature is important, not the temperature itself.

(C) Out of scope. The thing that needs explaining is about newborn dunnarts, not adults.

(D) Bingo. The dunnart's thin skin prevents an important function, so it has to have another way of accomplishing it. The pouch is the only other factor we know of.

(E) Opposite. If anything, this makes the issue worse, since dunnarts would really need something to prevent overheating and dehydration.

Takeaway/Pattern:
Finish the comparison! In this situation, we learn a bit of a comparison between dunnarts and other animals. The correct answer fills in the missing piece of that comparison.

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