Reading Comprehension

Social learning in animals
is said to occur when direct
or indirect social interaction
Line facilitates the acquisition
(5) of a novel behavior. It
usually takes the form of
an experienced animal (the
demonstrator) performing a
behavior such that the naive
(10) animal (the observer) subsequently
expresses the
same behavior sooner, or
more completely, than it
would have otherwise. One
(15) example of social learning
is the acquisition of preferences
for novel foods.

Some experiments
have suggested that among
(20) mammals, social learning
facilitates the identification
of beneficial food items,
but that among birds, social
learning helps animals
(25) avoid toxic substances.
For example, one study
showed that when red-wing
blackbirds observed others
consuming a colored food
(30) or a food in a distinctly
marked container and then
becoming ill, they subsequently
avoided food
associated with that color
(35) or container. Another
experiment showed that
house sparrows consumed
less red food after they
observed others eating
(40) red food that was treated
so as to be noxious. Studies
on nonavian species have
not produced similar results,
leading researchers to
(45) speculate that avian social
learning may be fundamentally
different from that of
mammals.

But Sherwin's recent
(50) experiments with domestic
hens do not support the
notion that avian social
learning necessarily facilitates
aversion to novel
(55) foods that are noxious or
toxic. Even when demonstrator
hens reacted with
obvious disgust to a specific
food, via vigorous head
(60) shaking and bill wiping,
there was no evidence that
observers subsequently
avoided eating that food.
Sherwin's research team
(65) speculated that ecological
or social constraints during
the evolution of this species
might have resulted in there
being little benefit from the
(70) social learning of unpalatability,
for instance,
selective pressures for this
mode of learning would be
reduced if the birds rarely
(75) encountered noxious or
toxic food or rarely interacted
after eating such food,
or if the consequences of
ingestion were minimal.
(80) In a related experiment,
the same researchers
showed that if observer
hens watched demonstrator
hens react favorably to food
(85) of a particular color, then
observer hens ate more
food of that color than they
ate of food of other colors.
These results confirmed that
(90) avian species can develop
preferences for palatable
food through social learning.

Q3:
The primary purpose of the passage is to discuss the
A. techniques used in certain experiments on social learning in birds
B. reasons for the differences between social learning in birds and in mammals
C. question of how social learning manifests itself in birds
D. basis for a widespread belief about a difference in behavior between birds and
mammals
E. possible reasons why birds may or may not learn from each other in a particular
way
Answer:

I selected B first but , then understood, that there is only one such reason mentiojed in passage ( and not Reasons ) hence looks like E is the best among the lot . Please explain ?
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Q4:
Missing!
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Q5:
According to the passage, which of the following is true of the experiments on domestic
hens conducted by Sherwin's research team?
A. Only a small number of observer hens appeared to learn to avoid food that was
demonstrated by other hens to be noxious.
B. Observer hens ingested food preferentially only after numerous instances of
witnessing demonstrator hens preferentially ingest that type of food.
C. Observer hens appeared unable to recognize when demonstrator hens found a
particular food especially palatable.
D. Demonstrator hens reacted adversely to ingesting certain novel foods.
E. Demonstrator hens altered their behavior less obviously in response to noxious
foods than in response to highly palatable foods.
Answer:

This one i think D is the answer . Please xplain ?

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Q6:
It can be inferred that the author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which
of the following statements regarding the results of the recent experiments conducted by
Sherwin's research team?
A. The experiments demonstrate that social learning in avian species facilitates the
identification of noxious or toxic foods.
B. The experiments suggest that social learning has made avian species less adept
than nonavian species at learning to prefer beneficial foods and avoid noxious and
toxic foods.
C. The experiments undermine the notion that most avian species have evolved in
environments where there is little benefit to the social learning of unpalatability.
D. The experiments suggest that the acquisition of food preferences in avian species
is largely unaffected by social learning.
E. The experiments show that social learning in avian species can promote the
preferential consumption of beneficial foods but do not support the claim that
social learning in avian species promotes the avoidance of noxious or toxic foods.
Answer:
This one i got right
no issues with this.