@Indy5 In this case, just because not ALL the insects in the area are flying insects, does not mean that the painted spider isn't still more successful. It's still competing against other spiders for the flying insects, presumably, so the type of insects in this area is irrelevant.
Julie-VJuly 17, 2019
I also agree with Halle (in the previous thread) that it feels as if an assumption has to be made to choose answer D as the correct choice. The visibility of the web made me hesitant to pick D, but it sounded like a better answer than A so ultimately I chose it hoping that the answer choice was aiming to have test takers make that additional inference. Is the relationship between the visibility of the web and an insect's likelihood to avoid it supposed to be common knowledge?
123June 17, 2020
I absolutely do not understand how answer A is incorrect. Doesn't D strengthen the argument that painted spiders are the most successful predators? Their webs are stickier. Stickier webs are brighter colored. More insects attracted to it. So naturally, it's a better predator because the stickiness and color work in its favor.
Answer A days that not all insects are flying. So wouldn't this mean that other spiders can go and be incredible predators and kill a gazillion more insects by force? Wouldn't this weaken the conclusion?
ankita96June 19, 2020
This is my idea of why (A) is wrong, and why I eliminated it immediately. It really does not matter that all the insects in the habitat are not flying ones, because even if 3 out of 10 are flying insects, all 3 would stick better into the painted spider's web than the web of its competitors. That's what the stimulus is setting out, that among the competitor's, painted spiders are better. Which is why (A) does not do any job at weakening the conclusion of the author.
(D) on the other hand could be interpreted in this way, if it is more visible to the prey insects, then they will know to avoid flying or going in that direction, which automatically makes them bad predators, because they are not exactly able to trap in preys now that they can see the web and avoid it.
A basic way to help understand this would be through an analogous situation, a hunter in the woods would not be good at her/his job if all his traps are visible, no animal will walk into it, so he/she would fail at being a good hunter. That is why (D) is doing the weakening of the conclusion that the painted spider is better predator.
I hope that was helpful! Do correct me if I am wrong.
