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Part A

Patricia predicts the conditions on the island will stay the same.

What equation will most likely describe the tortoise population in year 2?

A. S=L

B. S = 2L

C. S = 4L

Part B

What statement about the tortoise population does the correct answer from Part A best support?

A. The numbers of long-necked and short-necked tortoises are stable.

B. There will always be fewer long-necked tortoises than short-necked tortoises.

C. The long-necked tortoises have a survival advantage over the short-necked tortoises.

1 answer

To analyze the problem:

Part A: Patricia predicts that the conditions on the island will stay the same. When considering tortoise populations, it could imply that the population will not experience significant changes, meaning that the populations may remain stable.

  • Option A (S = L) suggests that the number of short-necked tortoises (S) is equal to the number of long-necked tortoises (L), indicating stability.
  • Option B (S = 2L) means that there are twice as many short-necked tortoises as long-necked tortoises.
  • Option C (S = 4L) indicates that there are four times as many short-necked tortoises as long-necked tortoises.

Given the context that the conditions are predicted to stay the same, the equation that most likely describes the tortoise population in year 2, indicating stability is A. S = L.

Part B: Now, let's consider the implications of the selected answer A (S = L):

  • Option A states, "The numbers of long-necked and short-necked tortoises are stable," which relates directly to the equality stated in Part A.
  • Option B suggests that there will always be fewer long-necked than short-necked tortoises, which is not supported by S = L.
  • Option C implies a survival advantage for the long-necked tortoises, which also is not a conclusion supported by S = L.

Given that the selected equation indicates a balance between the populations of short-necked and long-necked tortoises, the correct statement about the tortoise population best supported by the answer from Part A is A. The numbers of long-necked and short-necked tortoises are stable.