- Mon May 15, 2017 4:24 pm
#34878
Complete Question Explanation
Strengthen. The correct answer choice is (E)
This researcher discusses the collection of accurate air pollution readings, which can be expensive,
and one possible alternative that might provide a cheaper approach. Lichens are organisms that
absorb air pollution, so the researcher collected samples of the plant-like substance from sites that
were known to have high levels of copper pollution. The copper concentrations in the lichens were
compared with the concentrations found with standard pollution-monitoring equipment. Since the
lichens’ results were as accurate as those acquired with mechanical devices, the researcher concludes
that lichens can provide an effective replacement for more expensive devices, without losing
information.
The question that follows asks for the answer choice that strengthens the researcher’s argument, so
the correct answer choice will be the one that helps to justify the author’s conclusion that lichens can
replace more expensive pollution monitoring equipment without losing any information.
Answer choice (A): The researcher’s conclusion is that the lichens can replace more expensive
monitoring devices, so the question of whether or not such devices have been installed is not
relevant. Since this choice does not bolster the researcher’s argument, it cannot be the correct answer
to this Strengthen question.
Answer choice (B): The stimulus established that lichens absorb copper, but copper’s appearance
elsewhere does not bolster the more general claim that lichens can provide a general substitute for
more expensive pollution-monitoring systems.
Answer choice (C): The lichens’ reaction to unpolluted conditions is not relevant to the researcher’s
claim that lichens can be used to effectively monitor air pollution, so this choice does not strengthen
the author’s argument and cannot be the right answer to this Strengthen question.
Answer choice (D): The researcher suggests that lichens harvested from the sites of pollution can
provide accurate information about that pollution. The ability to grow lichens in the lab does not
bolster the researcher’s argument.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. If, as this choice provides, the lichens
absorb not only copper pollution but all other significant air pollution in the same way, that
strengthens the researcher’s conclusion that the lichens can provide an effective substitute for more
expensive air pollution monitoring devices.
Strengthen. The correct answer choice is (E)
This researcher discusses the collection of accurate air pollution readings, which can be expensive,
and one possible alternative that might provide a cheaper approach. Lichens are organisms that
absorb air pollution, so the researcher collected samples of the plant-like substance from sites that
were known to have high levels of copper pollution. The copper concentrations in the lichens were
compared with the concentrations found with standard pollution-monitoring equipment. Since the
lichens’ results were as accurate as those acquired with mechanical devices, the researcher concludes
that lichens can provide an effective replacement for more expensive devices, without losing
information.
The question that follows asks for the answer choice that strengthens the researcher’s argument, so
the correct answer choice will be the one that helps to justify the author’s conclusion that lichens can
replace more expensive pollution monitoring equipment without losing any information.
Answer choice (A): The researcher’s conclusion is that the lichens can replace more expensive
monitoring devices, so the question of whether or not such devices have been installed is not
relevant. Since this choice does not bolster the researcher’s argument, it cannot be the correct answer
to this Strengthen question.
Answer choice (B): The stimulus established that lichens absorb copper, but copper’s appearance
elsewhere does not bolster the more general claim that lichens can provide a general substitute for
more expensive pollution-monitoring systems.
Answer choice (C): The lichens’ reaction to unpolluted conditions is not relevant to the researcher’s
claim that lichens can be used to effectively monitor air pollution, so this choice does not strengthen
the author’s argument and cannot be the right answer to this Strengthen question.
Answer choice (D): The researcher suggests that lichens harvested from the sites of pollution can
provide accurate information about that pollution. The ability to grow lichens in the lab does not
bolster the researcher’s argument.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. If, as this choice provides, the lichens
absorb not only copper pollution but all other significant air pollution in the same way, that
strengthens the researcher’s conclusion that the lichens can provide an effective substitute for more
expensive air pollution monitoring devices.