Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyCross-Text Connections: Perspective Comparison

Text 1
Marine biologist Dr. Clara Thorne argues that the rise in anthropogenic ocean noise, particularly from commercial shipping vessels, poses a severe threat to baleen whale populations. Because these ships produce low-frequency sounds that overlap directly with the communication bands of whales, the animals' capacity to navigate, locate prey, and coordinate social behaviors is drastically impaired. Thorne insists that the only viable solution to protect these marine mammals is to implement strict restrictions on shipping lanes, forcing vessels to bypass critical whale habitats entirely.

Text 2
Economist Dr. Aris Mendoza maintains that while commercial shipping noise does intersect with the acoustic range of baleen whales, calls for route restrictions are premature. Mendoza points to recent bioacoustic studies showing that many whale populations exhibit significant behavioral plasticity, successfully modifying the pitch, volume, and timing of their calls to be heard over background noise. According to Mendoza, these adaptive responses suggest that whales can cope with current noise levels, making costly shipping diversions unnecessary.

Based on the texts, how would Mendoza (Text 2) most likely respond to Thorne's proposal to restrict shipping lanes?

  1. A
    By agreeing that shipping restrictions are the only way to help whales modify their communication habits.
  2. B
    By claiming that shipping noise does not actually overlap with the frequency bands used by whales.
  3. By arguing that the restriction is unnecessary because whales can adjust their communication patterns to cope with shipping noise.Answer
  4. D
    By suggesting that shipping routes should be altered to actively guide whales toward new habitats.

Answer

The correct answer is the option stating that the restriction is unnecessary because whales can adjust their communication patterns to cope with shipping noise.
The correct answer is correct because the author of Text 2 describes research showing that baleen whales possess the capacity to adapt their vocalizations (pitch, volume, timing) to overcome background noise. This leads the author of Text 2 to conclude that shipping lane restrictions, proposed by the author of Text 1, are unnecessary.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Thorne's position in Text 1.
Thorne claims shipping noise harms whales and proposes strict restrictions on shipping lanes as the only viable solution.
Understanding the first author's proposal is necessary to determine how the second author would respond to it.
2
Analyze Mendoza's position in Text 2 regarding shipping noise and Thorne's proposal.
Mendoza admits shipping noise overlaps with whale calls but argues that route restrictions are premature and costly because whales adapt their calls to cope with the noise.
Identifying the counter-evidence or counter-argument in the second text defines the nature of the disagreement.
3
Synthesize how Mendoza would respond to Thorne's proposal.
Mendoza would respond by arguing that the proposal is unnecessary because of the whales' demonstrated ability to modify their vocal behaviors.
Comparing the perspectives yields the correct relational stance between the two texts.

Key Concept

Cross-Text Connections: Perspective Comparison
Rate this question

Topics

Cross-Text Connections: Perspective Comparison

More questions from this topic