As clearly depicted in the statements of the passage, the larger a bird is, the smaller the ratio of its body weight to egg weight is. As you can see, an adult hummingbird's egg is 15% of its weight, whereas an adult goose's egg is only 4% of its weight and an adult ostrich's weight is only 1.6% of it weight.
Thus, answer choice (C) is the correct answer: "The ratio of egg weight of a species to body weight of an adult member of the species is smaller for larger birds than for smaller ones."
Answer choice (B) is incorrect because we are discussing a ratio as opposed to an actual amount. (B) states that the smaller a bird is, the larger its eggs are, but it doesn't explain in comparison to what. (B) makes it seem like there is merely an indirect relationship between bird size and egg size. This makes it seem like the egg of a hummingbird would be bigger than the egg of an ostrich. But, that is clearly absurd. It is the fact that the ratio is bigger between the weight of small birds and that of their eggs than the ratio of the weight of larger birds and that of their eggs.
Always be on the lookout for ratio v. amount flaws.
Hope that clears things up! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
hannah93092May 19, 2018
Can you please clarify what makes answer A incorect?
MehranMay 20, 2018
Hi @hannah93092, thanks for your post.
This Illustration question follows a stimulus that consists of a set of facts about birds and their eggs. The correct answer, (C), is a specific and accurate proposition that is illustrated by the stimulus: "the ratio of egg weight of a species to body weight of an adult member of that species is smaller for larger birds than for smaller ones."
Answer choice (A) is incorrect because it focuses on the wrong ratio - volume to weight, vs. weight of egg to weight of adult.
Hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
