Based on the passage, the author would probably hold that which one of the following principles is fundamental to lon...
Alyona1983February 3, 2020
How to attack the question.
Hi team,
please explain the way of finding the correct answer here. All the three options I was thinking of are wrong. What's behind the right answer and why four others are wrong?
Thank you,
Alyona
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(A) says, "The reproduction of the predator population should be synchronized with that of the prey population, so that the number of predators surges just prior to a surge in prey numbers."
The first part of (A) works well, but there is nothing that is implied or made explicit about a spike in population, so this is why this answer choice is out.
(E) says, "The predator population should be vulnerable only to pesticides to which the prey population is also vulnerable."
The problem with (E) is that it's too specific for the author to consider fundamental to long-term predatory control of agricultural pests, so we can get rid of this choice.
(D) says, "The predator population’s level of consumption of the prey species should be responsive to variations in the size of the prey population."
If you pay attention to how this question is worded, you'll see that it says 'fundamental,' and fundamental has a very similar meaning to the word 'necessary.' Therefore, this question is basically asking us which of the following answer choices, if not included, would make the long-term control of pests a failure. Since 'fundamental' and 'necessary' essentially mean the same thing, we can actually use the negation test for this question. If we negate (D) (if the predator's consumption is not responsive), then the pest would prevail in the field, which would result in a disaster. If this is the case, then the predator would be useless. Thus, (D) is essential to the long-term success of pest control, so it's the correct answer.
Does this help. Let us know if you have any other questions!
