Q6 - If newly hatched tobacco hornworms

[mshinners]

Question Type:
Strengthen

Stimulus Breakdown:
A bunch of crazy science, followed by the conclusion that these worms won't eat anything else because it doesn't taste as good as nightshade/ID.

Answer Anticipation:
While not as straightforward as some examples, this is a correlation/causation flaw. In Strengthen/Weaken questions, you should be on the lookout for this flaw, making these hard-to-spot examples a little (little!) easier to catch.

Nightshade is the only plant with ID. If a worm eats it, they won't eat anything else. Thus, the taste of ID must be the reason for their preference.

To strengthen this, let's look for an answer that:
1) Rules out an alternative cause (another chemical, for instance)
2) Shows another example (another bug that won't touch other food if it gets a taste for ID)
3) Shows a control group (an example where the taste couldn't have been a factor, and the result - an exclusive taste for NS/ID - doesn't show up).

Correct answer:
(B)

Answer choice analysis:
(A) Out of scope comparison. The argument compares NS to other plants, not to other types of NS.

(B) Bingo. This is a relatively hard question early on, but this is an example of the third method for strengthening a causal conclusion. When the cause is removed as a factor (these worms can't taste), the effect goes away (they eat other stuff).

(C) Out of scope. The argument is about taste preferences based on early diet. It doesn't matter to the argument how frequent an early taste for NS is, as long as when it happens the worm keeps eating it.

(D) Opposite, if anything. This answer choice, if anything, hints at another possible cause for the taste preference - some other chemical. Pointing out an alternative cause is a way to weaken an argument, not strengthen it. However, it doesn't really even do that, as these other chemicals might be tasteless.

(E) Opposite, if anything. By suggesting the explanation could be a different chemical, this answer choice raises the possibility of an alternative cause to ID, which would weaken the argument.

Takeaway/Pattern:
Look for causality in Strengthen/Weaken questions, and use the common answer chioce structures to help find the correct answer!

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