Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium transmitted to humans by deer ticks. Generally, deer ticks pick up the bacterium while in the larval stage by feeding on infected white-footed mice. However, certain other species on which the larvae feed do not harbor the bacterium. If the population of these other species were increased, more of the larvae would be feeding on uninfected hosts, so the number of ticks acquiring the bacterium would likely decline.
Which of the following would it be most important to ascertain in evaluating the argument?
Lymedisease is caused by a bacterium transmitted to humans by deer ticks. Generally, deer ticks pick up the bacteriumwhile in the larval stage by feeding on infected white-footed mice. However, certain other species on which thelarvae feed do not harbor the bacterium. If the population of these other species were increased, more of the larvaewould be feeding on uninfected hosts, so the number of ticks acquiring thebacterium would likely decline.
Whichof the following would it be most important to ascertain in evaluating theargument?
A.Whether populations of the other species on which deer tick larvae feed arefound only in areas also inhabited by white-footed mice
B.Whether the size of the deer tick population is currently limited by theavailability of animals for the tick's larval stage to feed on
C.Whether the infected deer tick population could be controlled by increasing thenumber of animals that prey on white-footed mice
D.Whether deer ticks that were not infected as larvae can become infected asadults by feeding on deer on which infected deer ticks have fed
E.Whether the other species on which deer tick larvae feed harbor any otherbacteria that ticks transmit to humans
如果你不能理解我上面的话,你可以看下面的例子,就可能会更加好地理解我上面的话了
argument:
studies have shown that increased protein intake promotes weight gain. therefore, if i increase my protein intake by eating egg whites every morning for breakfast, i will be successful in gaining weight.
* whether eating egg whites will cause a feeling of satiation that will make me eat less protein throughout the rest of the day --> this is relevant, because it actually deals directly with the effect of egg whites on my protein intake.
* whether there are other sources of protein that will be better than egg whites for achieving my goal --> irrelevant, since the passage isn't about meeting my goal in general; the passage is only about whether egg whites, in particular, will help me meet that goal.