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Strengthen Argument - Animal Behavior

XAT 2012 · Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning · Medium · Critical Reasoning

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Ethologists, people who study animal behavior, have traditionally divided an organism's actions into two categories: learned behavior (based on experience) and instinctive behavior (based on genotype). Some current scholars reject this distinction, claiming that all behavior is a predictable interaction of experience and genotype.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the arguments made in the sentence above?

  1. A.

    All organisms with identical genotypes and identical experience sometimes respond differently in different situations.

  2. B.

    All organisms with different genotypes and identical experience always respond identically in identical situations.

  3. C.

    All organisms with similar genotypes and similar experience always respond differently in identical situations.

  4. D.

    All organisms with identical genotypes and identical experience always respond identically in identical situations.

  5. E.

    All organisms with identical genotypes and different experience always respond identically in identical situations.

Answer

D

Explanation

The claim is that behavior is a predictable interaction of both experience and genotype. If identical genotypes and identical experiences always produce identical responses in identical situations, this proves predictability from the combination of genotype and experience.

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