Craft and StructureHardHow one author would view another's method
Craft and Structure practice question
Text 1
To estimate how many fish live in the lake, biologist Tomas Lindqvist tagged 200 fish, released them, and later caught 100, of which 10 were tagged. He concluded the lake holds about 2,000 fish.
Text 2
Mark-and-recapture estimates assume tagged fish mix evenly with the rest. Tagged fish often linger near the release point, so a second catch made nearby finds too many of them and the population is underestimated.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely regard Lindqvist's estimate?
- A. As possibly too low, if his second catch was made near where the tagged fish were released.Correct
- B. As certainly correct.
- C. As too high, because tagging kills fish.
- D. As meaningless, because fish cannot be tagged.
Answer: A. As possibly too low, if his second catch was made near where the tagged fish were released.
Text 2's concern is uneven mixing leading to underestimates; it applies if the recapture was near the release point.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. As certainly correct.
- Text 2 raises a doubt, not a confirmation.
- C. As too high, because tagging kills fish.
- Text 2 says the bias runs toward underestimation, and says nothing about tagging killing fish.
- D. As meaningless, because fish cannot be tagged.
- Text 2 treats tagging as a real method with a known pitfall.
More Craft and Structure questions
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