Question
Suppose a small island is home to two troops of monkeys. Every year, a certain fraction of each troop of monkeys are killed by predators. Every summer, each surviving pair of monkeys has one child. In this simplified model, the monkey population would look something like this:
Troop #1: Troop #2:
Year Season Number of
Monkeys
1 Spring 7
Summer 10
2 Spring 8
Summer 12
3 Spring 9
Summer 13
4 Spring 10
Summer 15
Year Season Number of
Monkeys
1 Spring 7
Summer 10
2 Spring 9
Summer 13
3 Spring 11
Summer 16
4 Spring 14
Summer 21
The first troop spends more time on the ground. The second troop spends more time in the trees.
Compare the sizes of the two monkey troops through time. Which of the following statements about the monkey troops is true?
A.
Because members of the first troop were better able to avoid predators, more of them were able to reproduce.
B.
Because members of the second troop were better able to avoid predators, more of them were able to reproduce.
C.
Because members of the second troop were better able to reproduce, more of them were able to avoid predators.
D.
Because members of the first troop were better able to reproduce, more of them were able to avoid predators.
Troop #1: Troop #2:
Year Season Number of
Monkeys
1 Spring 7
Summer 10
2 Spring 8
Summer 12
3 Spring 9
Summer 13
4 Spring 10
Summer 15
Year Season Number of
Monkeys
1 Spring 7
Summer 10
2 Spring 9
Summer 13
3 Spring 11
Summer 16
4 Spring 14
Summer 21
The first troop spends more time on the ground. The second troop spends more time in the trees.
Compare the sizes of the two monkey troops through time. Which of the following statements about the monkey troops is true?
A.
Because members of the first troop were better able to avoid predators, more of them were able to reproduce.
B.
Because members of the second troop were better able to avoid predators, more of them were able to reproduce.
C.
Because members of the second troop were better able to reproduce, more of them were able to avoid predators.
D.
Because members of the first troop were better able to reproduce, more of them were able to avoid predators.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To analyze the situation, let's compare the two monkey troops based on their population sizes over the years:
**Troop #1:**
- Year 1: Spring 7, Summer 10
- Year 2: Spring 8, Summer 12
- Year 3: Spring 9, Summer 13
- Year 4: Spring 10, Summer 15
**Troop #2:**
- Year 1: Spring 7, Summer 10
- Year 2: Spring 9, Summer 13
- Year 3: Spring 11, Summer 16
- Year 4: Spring 14, Summer 21
From this data, we can observe the following trends:
- Troop #1’s spring populations increase from 7 to 10, while its summer populations increase from 10 to 15 over 4 years.
- Troop #2’s spring populations increase from 7 to 14, while its summer populations increase from 10 to 21 over the same period.
**Comparison:**
- Troop #1 has a smaller population compared to Troop #2 at all time points and generally increases at a slower rate.
- Troop #2 shows a significantly larger increase in both spring and summer populations over the years, suggesting better reproductive success.
Since the context states that the first troop spends more time on the ground (where they are presumably more exposed to predators) and the second troop spends more time in the trees (where they may be better protected), it suggests that the second troop may indeed have a better chance of avoiding predators.
Given this inference and the data, the most accurate statement regarding the monkey troops is:
**B. Because members of the second troop were better able to avoid predators, more of them were able to reproduce.**
This aligns with the observed larger populations in Troop #2, which can be attributed to their likely better protection from predators.
**Troop #1:**
- Year 1: Spring 7, Summer 10
- Year 2: Spring 8, Summer 12
- Year 3: Spring 9, Summer 13
- Year 4: Spring 10, Summer 15
**Troop #2:**
- Year 1: Spring 7, Summer 10
- Year 2: Spring 9, Summer 13
- Year 3: Spring 11, Summer 16
- Year 4: Spring 14, Summer 21
From this data, we can observe the following trends:
- Troop #1’s spring populations increase from 7 to 10, while its summer populations increase from 10 to 15 over 4 years.
- Troop #2’s spring populations increase from 7 to 14, while its summer populations increase from 10 to 21 over the same period.
**Comparison:**
- Troop #1 has a smaller population compared to Troop #2 at all time points and generally increases at a slower rate.
- Troop #2 shows a significantly larger increase in both spring and summer populations over the years, suggesting better reproductive success.
Since the context states that the first troop spends more time on the ground (where they are presumably more exposed to predators) and the second troop spends more time in the trees (where they may be better protected), it suggests that the second troop may indeed have a better chance of avoiding predators.
Given this inference and the data, the most accurate statement regarding the monkey troops is:
**B. Because members of the second troop were better able to avoid predators, more of them were able to reproduce.**
This aligns with the observed larger populations in Troop #2, which can be attributed to their likely better protection from predators.