Critical Reasoning

After a number of migrant fishermen at the Rotunda Beach pier got sick from consuming locally fished hermit crabs, the Rotunda Beach city authorities posted signs cautioning against the consumption of the crabs. Tests revealed that the crabs were high in prestic acid, a dangerous chemical. But a marked decline in the number of goldfish found by the beach has led to the removal of the warning signs.

Which of the following, if true, would best explain the removal of the signs?


(A) Goldfish found off Rotunda Beach cause hermit crabs to excrete prestic acid.

(B) The amount of prestic acid produced by an individual goldfish has a direct positive correlation with the density of the goldfish population in that goldfish’s immediate vicinity.

(C) Goldfish consume various parasites that often contain prestic acid.

(D) Rotunda Beach is notoriously polluted.

(E) Goldfish would not be able to inhabit the waters off Rotunda Beach if those waters were not saturated with a precise mixture of acids, including prestic acid.



OA B

Source: Veritas Prep