Q4 - Scientist: Rattlesnakes prey on young

[mshinners]

Question Type:
Strengthen

Stimulus Breakdown:
Snakes can see heat. Squirrel tails heat up when they're trying to scare snakes. Thus, the heat must be a part of how the squirrel's scare snakes.

Answer Anticipation:
This question is yet another example of a Correlation/Causation flaw, with a twist.

First, it's a Correlation/Causation flaw because two things are correlated (squirrels scaring snakes; squirrels' tail heating up), and the argument assumes this means one explains how the other works (the heat is part of what scares the snakes).

Second, the twist. This argument includes information connecting the snake to the heat - it has infrared vision. However, this piece of information just adds to the correlation - it tells us the snakes are aware of the heat. It still doesn't guarantee that the heat is what scares the snake away - they could be aware of it, but not care.

Since this is a Str question with a Causal flaw, the correct answer will likely:
1) Eliminate an alternative explanation (unlikely here, since the conclusion states that the heat "plays a role", so the conclusion admits there are possibly other parts to the explanation)
2) Give another example of Cause and Effect going together (another situation where heat scares snakes)
3) A "control" group, where the cause is missing, and so is the effect (something that can't scare snakes away because it can't generate heat)

Correct answer:
(C)

Answer choice analysis:
(A) Out of scope. The argument is about squirrel tails heating up and scaring snakes. The rattlesnake's own tail is irrelevant.

(B) Out of scope. The squirrel-squirrel interaction isn't relevant to their interaction with snakes. We also don't know if the squirrel tail heats up during this attraction dance, or if squirrels can see the extra heat.

(C) Sizzle (correct). This answer fits into the second and third category of answer choice. It tells us the effect (fear) both increases and decreases with the cause (heat). That direct relationship is proof of a causal relationship.

(D) Out of scope. The other predators are out of scope, unless the statement tells us something about those other predators' reaction to heat (in which case it might serve as an example of a related animal being afraid of a heated tail).

(E) Out of scope. Snakes aren't mammals, and we already know they do have a sensory organ that lets them detect this heat.

Takeaway/Pattern:
While correlation never proves causation, it can be used to strengthen a causal relationship. The more correlation between two things, the more likely that there is a causal relationship (even if that "more likely" never becomes "certainty").

#officialexplanation

[Yit HanS103]

Hi, Id like to understand this question better and see if someone can tell me if this was my mistake.
under time, I eliminated all of them.
The reason to my mistake, I think is due to the question stem.

"which one of the following, if true, MOST HELPS TO SUPPORT the scientist's hypothesis?"
I thought of this question as MSS (most strongly supported question) - where your answer is supported by the above stimulus.

On your explanation, you see this stem as STR (Strengthen q). In str qs your answer brings new information in order to strengthen your stimulus.

C " sneaks REACT MUCH MORE DEFENSIVELY when confronted ..." to me C wasn't supported by the stimulus, because nowhere in there did it say how did the snakes responded to the squirrels method of defense.

I hope someone can help me understand where my mistake was.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCED.

[ohthatpatrick]

Looks like your mistake was just in reading and diagnosing the question stem.

Any time a question stem says:
Which of the following, if true, most helps to support
it will be Strengthen.

"one of the following" = one of the following answer choices.

Sometimes it's useful to replace the "one of the following" with "answer choice".

Which [answer choice], if true, most helps to support the hypothesis?

An INFERENCE question stem that used "support" wording would sound like:
Which of the following is most supported by the information above

Which [answer choice] is most supported by the paragraph?

vs.

Which [answer choice], if true, most helps to support the paragraph?


In STR, the answers support the paragraph. (active verb)
In INFER, the answers are supported by the paragraph. (passive verb)

Also, on STR, the paragraph will almost always be referred to as:
the argument, the reasoning, the hypothesis

On INFER, the paragraph will almost always be referred to as:
the statements, the information, the passage

Hope this helps.