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Conclusion argument - Can't figure out the conclusion here

Expert replies
by gmattaker20 » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:30 am
Besides laying eggs in her own nest, any female wood duck will lay an egg in the nest of another female wood duck if she sees the other duck leaving her nest. Under natural nesting conditions, this parasitic behavior is relatively rare because the ducks' nests are well hidden. However, when people put up nesting boxes to help the ducks breed, they actually undercut the ducks' reproductive efforts. These nesting boxes become so crowded with extra eggs that few, if any, of the eggs in those boxes hatch.

The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following?

(A) Female wood ducks will establish nests in nest
boxes only when natural nesting sites are not
available.

(B) Nesting female wood ducks who often see other
female wood ducks are the most successful in
their breeding efforts.

(C) The nesting boxes for wood ducks have less space
for eggs than do natural nesting sites.

(D) The nesting boxes would be more effective in
helping wood ducks breed if they were less
visible to other wood ducks than they currently
are.

(E) Nesting boxes are needed to supplement the
natural nesting sites of wood ducks because of
the destruction of much of the ducks' habitat.

OA: D

Although after seeing the OA I could well relate, I am unable to understand how to arrive at the conclusion. I am confused between C and D. Someone please explain.
Last edited by gmattaker20 on Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Source: — Critical Reasoning |

by cans » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:40 am
There is no conclusion in the stimulus. question is to find the conclusion.
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by gmattaker20 » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:58 am
Thanks for the reply cans. I am confused between C and D. I am wondering how hypothetical condition (if and would) could be the conclusion ?
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by cans » Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:40 pm
C says: Size of nesting box is small which is nowhere mentioned in the stimulus.
It just says that nesting boxes become crowded because of extra eggs.
say normal nest has capacity of 10 eggs, and nesting box has capacity of 11, nesting boxes can become crowded if 5 extra eggs come...

D) If nesting boxes were less visible, they won't become crowded and thus the conclusion.
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by gunjan1208 » Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:00 pm
Good Question. Though thought this should be D in the first place, I finally fell for C. But with the reply from Cans, I am absolutely clear.
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by gmattaker20 » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:02 pm
Thanks cans for the vivid explanation.
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by gauravhasija » Sat Sep 17, 2011 5:13 am
If a nesting box is visible to one acquiring it...it is equally visible to everyone else....until its position is changed later..i dont see D relevant
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by cans » Sat Sep 17, 2011 5:23 am
gauravhasija wrote:If a nesting box is visible to one acquiring it...it is equally visible to everyone else....until its position is changed later..i dont see D relevant
So what should be the answer according to you??
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by gauravhasija » Sat Sep 17, 2011 5:37 am
cans wrote:
gauravhasija wrote:If a nesting box is visible to one acquiring it...it is equally visible to everyone else....until its position is changed later..i dont see D relevant
So what should be the answer according to you??
IMO C..author has mentioned that this behavior relatively rare at natural sites...
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by cans » Sat Sep 17, 2011 7:00 am
parasitic behavior is rare which is because they are well hidden....
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