Ethologists long maintained that the intense, synchronized flashing of male fireflies in tropical canopies functions primarily as a cooperative signal to attract distant females to the group. However, recent high-speed video analysis demonstrates that individual males adjust their flash timing to obscure the flashes of adjacent rivals. Therefore, the collective synchronization is merely an unintended byproduct of relentless competition among individual males to monopolize female attention. Consequently, models that rely on group-level selection to explain this phenomenon are fundamentally flawed.
In the argument given, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?
- The first is a traditional position that the argument seeks to refute; the second is the main conclusion advocated by the argument.Answer
- BThe first is the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a supporting claim offered to justify an alternative position.
- CThe first is a premise supporting a traditional hypothesis; the second is empirical evidence that directly refutes that hypothesis.
- DThe first is a hypothesis that the argument defends; the second is an objection raised against that hypothesis.
- EThe first is an observation that the argument attempts to explain; the second is an unstated assumption required for that explanation.
Answer
The first boldfaced statement is a traditional position that the argument seeks to refute, and the second boldfaced statement is the main conclusion advocated by the argument.
The passage begins by outlining a traditional hypothesis regarding firefly flashing behavior. The author uses contrast transition words ('However') and evidence to undermine this traditional view, concluding ('Therefore') with the main claim in the second boldfaced selection. Thus, the option identifying the first as a position the argument refutes and the second as the main conclusion is correct.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Analyzing Argument Structure and Boldface Roles