Morefa 2 part analysis

srcc25anu wrote:The following excerpt from a fictitious science news report discusses a fictitious type of location called a morefa.

For zoologists studying the behavior of certain species of birds, the critical importance of observing the birds in those species' morefa during the annual breeding season is obvious. Such observation allows researchers to study not only the courtship displays of many different individuals within a species, but also the species' social hierarchy. Morever, since some species repeatedly return to the same morefa, researchers can study changes in group dynamics from year to year. The value of observing a morefa when the birds are not present, however -- such as prior to their arrival or after they have abandoned the area to establish their nests -- is only now becoming apparent.

Based on the definition of the imaginary word morefa that can be inferred from the previous paragraph, which of the following activities of a bird species must happen in a location for that location to be teh species' morefa, and which must NOT happen in a location for that location to be the species' morefa? Make only two selections, one in each column.

1. Sleeping

2. Occupying the location multiple times

3. Establishing nests

4. Gathering together with members of their own species

5. Territorial competition with members of different species

OA [spoiler]Must Happen: D and must NOT Happen: C[/spoiler]

Must Happen - D (Green part is the explanation)
Must not Happen - C (Yellow part is the explanation)

What we see: a verbal Two-Part Analysis question. "Morefa" is a made-up word, and we must build its meaning from the paragraph. Then we pick one activity that MUST happen at a morefa and one that must NOT happen there. The choices, in order, are A Sleeping, B Occupying the location multiple times, C Establishing nests, D Gathering together with members of their own species, E Territorial competition with members of different species.

Step 1. Collect every fact the paragraph gives about a morefa.
What we see: (1) zoologists watch birds "in those species' morefa during the annual breeding season"; (2) there they see "the courtship displays of many different individuals within a species" and "the species' social hierarchy"; (3) "some species repeatedly return to the same morefa"; (4) the birds later "have abandoned the area to establish their nests."
What it means: a morefa is the place where many birds of one species gather in breeding season to court and sort out rank, and they leave it to build nests somewhere else.
What we do and why: we test each choice against these four facts only. A "must" needs the paragraph to say it is always part of a morefa.

Step 2. Find what MUST happen.
(D) Many individuals of one species, courtship and a social hierarchy all need the birds of that species together in one place. Every use of the word depends on this. Keep D.
(B) The paragraph says "some species" return, so returning is not required for every morefa. Out.
(A) and (E) Sleeping and fights with other species are never mentioned. Out.

Step 3. Find what must NOT happen.
What we see: the birds leave the morefa "to establish their nests."
What it means: nests are built somewhere else, after the birds have left. A place where the birds build their nests is not their morefa.
What we do and why: choose C for the second column. Nothing else in the list is ruled out by the paragraph; it is only left unmentioned.

The trap: (B) in the first column. The paragraph does talk about returning, but only for "some species," and "some" can never prove "must."
Faster way: for "must not happen," look for a sentence that sends the birds away from the place, here "abandoned the area to establish their nests." Whatever they leave to do is the "must not."
Takeaway: in definition questions, "must" needs a fact true in every case, and "must not" needs a fact the passage puts somewhere else; "some" and "never mentioned" answer neither.

Answer: Must happen D, Must not happen C