Craft and StructureHardApplying one text's principle to another's case
Craft and Structure practice question
Text 1
Any estimate of an animal population from tracks in snow, biologist Karin Lund cautions, must account for the fact that a single animal can leave many trails in one night.
Text 2
Rangers counted 60 sets of lynx tracks across the reserve after a fresh snowfall and reported a population of 60 lynx.
Based on the texts, how would Lund most likely respond to the rangers' report?
- A. By pointing out that 60 trails could have been made by far fewer than 60 lynx, so the figure is probably too high.Correct
- B. By agreeing that the reserve holds exactly 60 lynx.
- C. By arguing that snow is useless for counting animals.
- D. By suggesting the count is too low.
Answer: A. By pointing out that 60 trails could have been made by far fewer than 60 lynx, so the figure is probably too high.
One animal, many trails: the count of trails overstates the count of animals.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. By agreeing that the reserve holds exactly 60 lynx.
- Text 1's caution argues against taking the figure at face value.
- C. By arguing that snow is useless for counting animals.
- Lund says estimates must account for the issue, not that they are useless.
- D. By suggesting the count is too low.
- The bias runs toward overcounting.
More Craft and Structure questions
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Which choice best describes the function of the underlined final sentence in the text as a whole? - Hard
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text? - Hard
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word? - Hard
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word? - Hard
What is the main purpose of the text?
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