A major chemical spill occurred five years ago at Baker’s Beach, the world’s sole nesting ground for Merrick sea turtles, and prevented nearly all the eggs laid that year from hatching.Yet the number of adult female Merricks returning to lay their eggs at Baker’s Beach has actually increased somewhat since five years ago.Clearly, environmentalists’ prediction that the world’s Merrick population would decline as a result of the spill has proven unfounded. Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the argument offered in refutation of the environmentalists’ prediction?
A.The chemical spill five years ago occurred at a time when there were neither Merrick sea turtles nor Merrick sea turtle eggs on Baker’s Beach.
B.Female Merrick sea turtles begin returning to Baker’s Beach to lay their eggs when they are ten years old.
C.Under normal conditions, only a small proportion of hatchling female Merrick sea turtles survive in the ocean until adulthood and return to lay their eggs at Baker’s Beach.
D.Environmental pressures unrelated to the chemical spill have caused a significant decline in the population of one of the several species of sea birds that prey on Merrick sea turtle eggs.
E.After the chemical spill, an environmental group rejected a proposal to increase the Merrick sea turtle population by transferring eggs from Baker’s Beach to nearby beaches that had not been affected by the spill.
33: GWD-29-Q38 In the past, every ten-percentage-point increase in cigarette prices in the country of Coponia has decreased per capita sales of cigarettes by four percent.Coponia is about to raise taxes on cigarettes by 9 cents per pack.The average price of cigarettes in Coponia is and has been for more than a year 90 cents per pack.So the tax hike stands an excellent chance of reducing per capita sales of cigarettes by four percent.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
A.Tobacco companies are unlikely to reduce their profit per pack of cigarettes to avoid an increase in the cost per pack to consumers in Coponia.
B.Previous increases in cigarette prices in Coponia have generally been due to increases in taxes on cigarettes.
C.Any decrease in per capita sales of cigarettes in Coponia will result mainly from an increase in the number of people who quit smoking entirely.
D.At present, the price of a pack of cigarettes in Coponia includes taxes that amount to less than ten percent of the total selling price.
E.The number of people in Coponia who smoke cigarettes has remained relatively constant for the past several years.