Researchers conditioned a group of flies to associate a part

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Researchers conditioned a group of flies to associate a particular odor with a weak electric shock. Twenty-four and forty-eight hours later the researchers conducted tests on the flies, both individually and in groups, to determine whether the flies retained the conditioning. When tested individually, the flies were significantly less likely to avoid areas marked with the odor. The researchers hypothesized that in the presence of the odor, a fly that retains the conditioned association gives off an alarm signal that arouses the attention of any surrounding flies, retriggering the association in them and thereby causing them to avoid the odor.

The researchers' hypothesis requires which of the following assumptions?

A. The flies do not give off odors as alarm signals.
B. Flies that did not avoid the odor when tested individually were not merely following other flies' movements when tested in a group.
C. Flies that did not avoid the odor when tested individually were less likely than the other flies to avoid the odor when tested in a group.
D. Prior to their conditioning, the flies would likely have found the odor used in the experiment to be pleasant.
E. An electric shock was used during the flies' conditioning and during the later tests.

OA B

Source: Official Guide
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by deloitte247 » Thu Oct 31, 2019 6:13 pm
Premise: Researchers conditioned a group of flies to associate a particular odor with a weak electric shock.
Conclusion: The researchers hypothesized that in the presence of the odor, a fly that retains the conditioned association gives off an alarm signal that arouses the attention of any surrounding flies, retriggering the association in them and thereby causing them to avoid the odor.

Option A - Incorrect
This claim contradicts the researchers' hypothesis because a fly that retains the conditioned association gives off an alarm signal that arouses the attention of any surrounding flies.

Option B - Correct
This claim is correct as proven with reference to the passage "a fly that retains the conditioned association gives off an alarm signal that arouses the attention of any surrounding flies, retriggering the association in them and thereby causing them to avoid the odor".

Option C - Incorrect
In reference to this passage "when tested individually, the flies were significantly less likely to avoid areas marked with the odor"., so, we only know the result of the flies being tested individually but that of the group testing of the flies was revealed thereafter. Hence, it is not a good fit to be chosen as the correct answer.

Option D - Incorrect
We can't know if the flies found the odor used in the experiment pleasant as there is no information of such in the passage to back up this claim.

Option E - Incorrect
We are not concerned about the electric shock used for the tests because it doesn't align with the researchers' hypothesis. Hence, this option is wrong.