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Information and IdeasMediumSelect finding that supports a behavioral hypothesis

Information and Ideas practice question

Bobcats are generally considered crepuscular, meaning they are most active around dawn and dusk. Wildlife biologist Tomás Ferreira set up 40 motion-triggered cameras across a suburban nature preserve and hypothesized that the preserve's bobcats have shifted their activity into the late-night hours specifically to avoid encounters with human hikers.

Which finding from the camera-trap data, if true, would most directly support Ferreira's hypothesis?

  1. A. Along the trails that hikers use most heavily, bobcat images cluster between midnight and 4 a.m., whereas along seldom-used trails in the same preserve, bobcats are photographed regularly throughout daylight hours.Correct
  2. B. The total number of bobcat images captured by the cameras increased in each of the study's five years.
  3. C. Coyotes photographed in the preserve were most active between midnight and 4 a.m. on every trail, regardless of how many hikers used it.
  4. D. Hikers responding to a preserve survey reported seeing bobcats far more often near dusk than at midday.

Answer: A. Along the trails that hikers use most heavily, bobcat images cluster between midnight and 4 a.m., whereas along seldom-used trails in the same preserve, bobcats are photographed regularly throughout daylight hours.

To support the claim that hikers are the cause of the shift, the evidence must link bobcat timing to human presence. Choice A does this with a built-in comparison: nighttime activity where hikers are common, daytime activity where they are not, within the same preserve. Choice B concerns how many bobcats were photographed, not when, so it speaks to abundance rather than timing. Choice C describes a different species and, because coyote timing is the same regardless of hiker traffic, actually suggests that late-night activity need not be a response to humans. Choice D relies on hikers' sightings, which can only occur when hikers are present and therefore cannot reveal how bobcats behave in hikers' absence.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The total number of bobcat images captured by the cameras increased in each of the study's five years.
This reports how many bobcat images were captured, not when they were captured — the hypothesis is about a shift in timing, so a count of images can't test it.
C. Coyotes photographed in the preserve were most active between midnight and 4 a.m. on every trail, regardless of how many hikers used it.
This is about coyotes, not bobcats, and since coyote timing is identical no matter how many hikers use a trail, it actually suggests late-night activity isn't a response to humans.
D. Hikers responding to a preserve survey reported seeing bobcats far more often near dusk than at midday.
Hiker sightings can only happen when hikers are out, so this data can't tell you what bobcats do when hikers are absent — and dusk sightings match the usual crepuscular pattern rather than a shift to late night.

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