"Surprising" Phenomenon
Why do leatherbacks in captivity have the same likelihood of reaching maximum life expectancy as leatherbacks in the wild, even though leatherbacks in captivity are susceptible to fatal diseases they don’t get in the wild?
Objective
The correct answer should tell us about harmful things that wild leatherbacks face that captive leatherbacks don’t face, or healthy things about being in captivity that wild leatherbacks don’t benefit from.
A
Fewer diseases attack leatherbacks than attack other large aquatic reptiles.
This doesn’t differentiate between leatherbacks in the wild and those in captivity. So it’s not going to explain why the two kinds of leatherbacks have the same chance of reaching max life expectancy despite the extra threat from fatal diseases to captive leatherbacks.
B
The average life expectancy of sea turtles in general is longer than that of almost all other marine animals.
This doesn’t differentiate between leatherbacks in the wild and those in captivity. So it’s not going to explain why the two kinds of leatherbacks have the same chance of reaching max life expectancy despite the extra threat from fatal diseases to captive leatherbacks.
C
Most leatherbacks that perish in the wild are killed by predators.
This points out a threat faced by wild leatherbacks that captive leatherbacks don’t face. Although captive leatherbacks might face certain fatal diseases, the wild ones face predators. This could be why the overall likelihood of reaching max life expectancy is about the same.
D
Few zoologists have sufficient knowledge to establish an artificial environment that is conducive to the well-being of captive leatherbacks.
This presents a reason that captive leatherbacks might face additional harm compared to the wild leatherbacks. But this leads us to think captive leatherbacks should have a lower chance of reaching max life expectancy.
E
The size of a leatherback is an untrustworthy indicator of its age.
This doesn’t differentiate between wild and captive leatherbacks. So it’s not going to explain why the two kinds of leatherbacks have the same chance of reaching max life expectancy despite the extra threat from fatal diseases to captive leatherbacks.
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that most people can diagnose swimmer’s ear in themselves without ever needing to consult a physician. As support for this conclusion, the author cites a recent study where 84% of a sample of 1,000 people who believed that they had swimmer’s ear made an accurate diagnosis. The author also notes that this 84% accurate diagnosis rate is slightly higher than doctors’ accuracy.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that a high rate of successful self diagnosis supports the idea that people never have to see a doctor for swimmer’s ear; we don’t know that the people in the study had never seen a doctor for swimmer’s ear.
A
Cases in which swimmer’s ear progresses to more serious infections are very rare.
The argument is concerned with whether or not doctors are required for accurate diagnosis of swimmer’s ear. The argument is not concerned with severity of infections, so this information does not weaken the argument.
B
Most of those who suspected incorrectly that they had swimmer’s ear also believed that they had other ailments that in fact they did not have.
(B) provides information about the 16% who made an incorrect self-diagnosis of swimmer’s ear. The argument is about the high rate of accurate self-diagnosis, so this information does not weaken the argument.
C
Most of the people who diagnosed themselves correctly had been treated by a physician for a prior occurrence of swimmer’s ear.
This information attacks the argument’s key assumption that, because of the high rate of accurate self-diagnosis, most people can diagnose themselves without ever seeing a doctor. (C) says that previous visits to a doctor may have informed these accurate self-diagnoses.
D
Physicians who specialize in ear diseases are generally able to provide more accurate diagnoses than those provided by general practitioners.
This does not change the fact that self-diagnoses are more accurate than doctors’ diagnoses in general. The key support for the argument is that self-diagnoses are highly accurate. (D) does not weaken the argument that most people can self diagnose without ever seeing a doctor.
E
For many people who develop swimmer’s ear, the condition disappears without medical or pharmaceutical intervention.
The argument is concerned with diagnosis, not treatment, of swimmer’s ear.