#23 - Botanist: In an experiment, scientists raised

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Strengthen—CE. The correct answer choice is (E)

The botanist quoted in this example discusses an experiment in which domesticated radishes were raised among wild radishes; within a few generations, the wild radishes, which are considered weeds, began to take on the color of the domesticated radishes. According to the botanist, this suggests that pesticide resistance could also be passed from domesticated crop plants to their weed cousins:

• Premise: Within a few generations, wild weed radishes took on the color of domesticated radishes.
  
  Conclusion: Pesticide resistance could also be passed from a crop plant to a related weed.

The stimulus is followed by a Strengthen question, so the correct answer choice will bolster the author’s conclusion about crop plants which is based on a premise about radishes.

Answer choice (A): Based on the passage of color traits from domesticated radishes to their related wild species, the author concludes that other traits could be passed from domesticated plants to related species. This choice, which provides that it’s easier in principle to pass traits from wild species to domesticated species, would not strengthen the botanist’s argument, so it cannot be the right answer to this Strengthen question.

Answer choice (B): The relationship of the ratio to the speed of color trait passage would not strengthen the author’s conclusion, so this choice should be ruled out of contention.

Answer choice (C): This choice would weaken the author’s argument; if radishes are not representative, that makes it less likely that crop species could pass genetically engineered pesticide resistance in the same way that the radishes passed their color.

Answer choice (D): If, as this choice provides, the color that was passed among the radishes was not genetically introduced, that would weaken the author’s conclusion about passing genetically engineered pesticide resistance, so this cannot be the right answer to this Strengthen question.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. If, as this choice provides, it is more difficult for radishes to pass color from domesticated plants to their wild weed relatives, the other side of the equation is that it is easier for other similarly related species to pass other traits (such as genetically engineered pesticide resistance).

[sarae]

Is E correct because if the "more difficult" occurrence happened (color being transferred), then an easier occurrence (a genetically engineered trait) is likely to happen as well?

Thanks!

[Nikki Siclunov]

You nailed it. If, as answer choice (E) choice provides, it is more difficult for radishes to pass color from domesticated plants to their wild weed relatives, the other side of the equation is that it is easier for other similarly related species to pass other traits (such as genetically engineered pesticide resistance). Since the more difficult occurrence happened, the easier one is likely to happen as well.

[sarae]

ok great, thank you!

[MichaelJAG]

Dear PowerScore,

When I pre-phrased this question, the first thing that stood out to me was that the Botanist used one sample to make a general rule. I saw that as his weakness, and I sought an answer choice to somehow eliminate that weakness. However, the correct answer, (E), was a total surprise for me. It does make logical sense to me, but I never would have thought of that as a pre-phrase. What should I have done differently to better accurately pre-phrase this question? Thank-you.

Regards,

Michael

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hey Michael,

This is definitely a challenging question, in part because it is difficult to prephrase the correct answer choice with the desired level of specificity. That said, if you understand what's wrong with the argument, you may have an easier time identifying why answer choice (E) is correct.

The botanist discusses an experiment in which domesticated radishes were raised among wild radishes; within a few generations, the wild radishes, which are considered weeds, began to take on the color of the domesticated radishes. So, the botanist concludes that pesticide resistance could also be passed from domesticated crop plants to their weed cousins. The argument proceeds by analogy, assuming that color and pesticide resistance are both traits that can easily be passed from a crop plant to a related weed.

If that's all you take from reading this argument, answer choice (E) should immediately stand out: if color is the most difficult trait to pass from a crop plant to a related weed, and it still happened with the radishes, then pesticide resistance should be a comparatively easier trait to pass. If answer choice (E) is correct, this strengthens the relevance of the analogous trait used in support of the author's conclusion. I know... it's a difficult thing to prephrase, and (to be perfectly honest) I did not prephrase (E) when doing this question. Nevertheless, if you notice the use of analogy in the original argument and understand how to strengthen such argument generally speaking, you shouldn't have any trouble making sense of answer choice (E).

Hope this helps! Let me know.

Thanks!