Reading comp PrepTest 136 · Section 3 · Question 17

Topic: Science

Paragraph 1

• Paragraph note
  • Traditional theory, with example
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Traditional theory - Species-specific model - Animals evolved to fake fight with always the same ritual displays to prevent injury
  • Example - Tortoise - stretch necks

Paragraph 2

• Paragraph note
  • A new theory that applies in some cases; “Parent” theory; Example; Differences between parent and child theories
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Counterexample to species-specific model - aperta spider, which changes up fighting behavior and sometimes actually fights
  • Reichert - Evolutionary game theory - Explains differences in behavior (size, age, experience)
  • Parent theory - Classical game theory (vN + M) - Humans in conflict
  • Similarities - Maximizing average payoff
  • Differences - 1) Classical = rational thought, Evolutionary = instinct; 2) Classical = Individual decides value, Evolutionary = Payoff is reproduction

Paragraph 3

• Paragraph note
  • Predictions are made by Reichert
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Prediction - Opponents size, predators, other options for home = factors in fight
  • Specific prediction - Grassland (fewer places for home) - Lots of fighting; Riparian (more places for home) - Less fighting

Main Point: While the Species-Specific Model of animal conflict applies in many cases, Susan Reichert’s Evolutionary Game Theory may explain the fighting behavior of certain spiders, accounting for their varied fighting behavior with a number of factors.

Lines 1-6 - The traditional theory

Line 8 - An example of the traditional theory is introduced

Lines 14-16 - An example that falls outside the traditional theory

Lines 16-19 - A new theory

Line 47; Line 51 - Predictions are made

Old Theory/New Theory - This passage falls into one of the most common Science passage Meta-Structures - the Old Theory/New Theory passage. Here, the traditional theory is the Species-Specific Model (Lines 1-3), while Reichert’s Evolutionary Game Theory is the new one (Lines 16-19). However, unlike many of these passages, the traditional theory isn’t shown to be wrong - after all, it explains the behavior of turtles (Lines 8-12). Rather, Evolutionary Game Theory is shown potentially to explain certain cases - really, just one, with Agelenopsis aperta spiders. Additionally, another theory is in the mix - Classical Game Theory - though that’s brought up just to highlight the history and features of Evolutionary Game Theory (Lines 23-26), so it’s tangential to the argument. In any case, in an Old Theory/New Theory passage, the Author’s view of the new theory is generally the main point. Here, he definitely doesn’t buy into Reichert’s theory 100%, as he phrases most things as what Reichert argues and predicts, but he certainly at least thinks it might apply to these spiders - leading to the main point above.

Examples - Each of the theories has a single example that backs it up, so we should expect questions about them. We’ll probably get one question on the tortoises, but quite a few on the spiders.

Comparisons - Paragraph 2 features similarities and differences between Evolutionary Game Theory and Classical Game Theory, so we should expect a question or two on those. Paragraph 3 also makes comparative predictions about riparian and grassland habitats, which will likely be good for a question or two.

Predictions - It would be very easy to miss a key aspect of Paragraph 3 - there are no actual studies done, just predictions on what Reichert thinks would be the case should studies on A. aperta be carried out. That might be important as we look at answers about that paragraph, so let’s keep it in mind.

You just know they’re going to ask about a “riparian” habitat - it’s a word they don’t expect you to know ahead of time, and they don’t provide a definition. We’ll circle back to it if it comes up in a question, as there’s no point in spending time on figuring it out until we know that it’s important in getting a question correct.