Entomologist: Beginning around 2006, many honeybee colonies started dying mysteriously, a condition known as collapse disorder. Bee autopsies revealed...

GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions

Source: Mock

Critical Reasoning

Evaluate

MEDIUM

...

Notes

Post a Query

Entomologist: Beginning around 2006, many honeybee colonies started dying mysteriously, a condition known as collapse disorder. Bee autopsies revealed a virus called IAPV in almost all colonies with symptoms of colony collapse disorder, but in only one apparently healthy colony. Thus, IAPV must be the cause of the disorder.

In order to assess the strength of the entomologist's argument, it would be most helpful to know which of the following?

Whether the apparently healthy colony infected with IAPV was also infected with any other viruses

By what means IAPV has been spreading between honeybee colonies since 2006

To what extent symptoms associated with colony collapse disorder make honeybee colonies more susceptible to infection by IAPV

Whether scientists are able to detect IAPV in honeybee colonies with symptoms of colony collapse disorder without conducting bee autopsies

Which symptoms of colony collapse disorder were observed among the colonies in which IAPV was detected

Solution

Passage Analysis:

Text from Passage	Analysis
Beginning around 2006, many honeybee colonies started dying mysteriously, a condition known as collapse disorder.	What it says: Starting in 2006, lots of honeybee colonies began dying for unknown reasons, called collapse disorder What it does: Sets up the mystery we're trying to solve What it is: Background information Visualization: Before 2006: Healthy colonies ✓✓✓✓✓ After 2006: Dead colonies ✗✗✗ (20-30 colonies affected)
Bee autopsies revealed a virus called IAPV in almost all colonies with symptoms of colony collapse disorder, but in only one apparently healthy colony.	What it says: When scientists examined dead bees, they found IAPV virus in nearly all dead colonies but only in one healthy colony What it does: Provides key evidence linking the virus to the deaths What it is: Research findings Visualization: Dead colonies with IAPV: ✗✗✗✗✗✗✗✗✗ (9 out of 10) Healthy colonies with IAPV: ✓ (1 out of many)
Thus, IAPV must be the cause of the disorder.	What it says: The entomologist concludes that IAPV virus definitely causes collapse disorder What it does: Makes a strong causal claim based on the correlation found in the autopsy data What it is: Author's conclusion

Argument Flow:

The entomologist starts with a problem (mysterious bee deaths), presents evidence (virus found in dead colonies but not healthy ones), and jumps to a causal conclusion.

Main Conclusion:

IAPV virus must be the cause of colony collapse disorder.

Logical Structure:

This is a classic correlation-to-causation argument. The entomologist sees that IAPV appears in dead colonies but rarely in healthy ones, then assumes this correlation means IAPV causes the deaths. The logic assumes that just because two things happen together (virus + death), one must cause the other.

Prethinking:

Question type:

Evaluate - We need to find information that would help us assess whether the entomologist's causal conclusion (IAPV causes colony collapse disorder) is strong or weak

Precision of Claims

The entomologist makes a definitive causal claim ('IAPV must be the cause') based on correlation evidence (IAPV found in almost all dead colonies but only one healthy colony)

Strategy

Since this is an evaluate question, we need to think of assumptions the entomologist is making. Then we can create scenarios where these assumptions, when taken to extremes, would either strongly support or strongly undermine the conclusion. We should focus on gaps between the correlation evidence and the causal conclusion.

Answer Choices Explained

Whether the apparently healthy colony infected with IAPV was also infected with any other viruses

This focuses on just one healthy colony and asks about other viruses it might have. While interesting, this doesn't help us evaluate the core causal claim that IAPV causes colony collapse disorder. Even if we knew about other viruses in this one colony, it wouldn't tell us whether IAPV generally causes collapse or whether collapsed colonies become more susceptible to IAPV infection. This is too narrow and doesn't address the fundamental logic of the argument.

By what means IAPV has been spreading between honeybee colonies since 2006

This asks about the transmission mechanism of IAPV. However, knowing how IAPV spreads doesn't help us determine whether it actually causes colony collapse disorder. A virus could spread efficiently but still be a consequence rather than a cause of colony problems. The method of transmission doesn't resolve the correlation-versus-causation issue at the heart of the entomologist's argument.

To what extent symptoms associated with colony collapse disorder make honeybee colonies more susceptible to infection by IAPV

This directly tackles the biggest weakness in the entomologist's reasoning - the assumption that correlation proves causation. The entomologist sees IAPV in dead colonies and concludes it must cause the deaths. But what if the causation runs the other way? What if colonies that are already experiencing collapse symptoms become more vulnerable to IAPV infection? If collapse symptoms significantly increase IAPV susceptibility, this would suggest IAPV is a consequence, not a cause, of the disorder. If they don't increase susceptibility much, it would support the entomologist's causal claim. This information would directly help us assess whether the argument is strong or weak.

Whether scientists are able to detect IAPV in honeybee colonies with symptoms of colony collapse disorder without conducting bee autopsies

This is about detection methodology - whether scientists need to do autopsies to find IAPV or can detect it in other ways. This doesn't help evaluate the causal claim at all. Whether we find IAPV through autopsies or other methods doesn't change the fundamental question of whether IAPV causes collapse or collapse makes colonies susceptible to IAPV. This is about research technique, not logical reasoning.

Which symptoms of colony collapse disorder were observed among the colonies in which IAPV was detected

This asks for more descriptive details about what specific symptoms were seen in IAPV-infected colonies. While this might be scientifically interesting, it doesn't help us evaluate whether IAPV causes the symptoms or whether the symptoms make colonies more susceptible to IAPV. Having a more detailed symptom list doesn't resolve the causation question - it just gives us more correlation data, which is the same type of evidence the entomologist already used.

Rate this Solution

Tell us what you think about this solution

...

Forum Discussions

Start a new discussion

Post

Previous Attempts

Loading attempts...