Logical reasoning PrepTest 154 · Section 1 · Question 15

Incorrect. Heinrich didn't propose any hypotheses, so this answer is out of scope.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Methods of Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
Ravens sometimes bring friends to eat a carcass. Heinrich thought this was weird, so he investigated more:
What Heinrich did: Dropped a carcass in a meadow that was "owned" by a mated pair of ravens and hid
What Heinrich saw: That mated pair claimed the meat, but baby ravens who didn't have territory ganged up to chase the pair away

Answer Anticipation:
While this is classified as a Methods of Reasoning question, note that we're not describing how an argument works, but rather how a study works. That's a bit different, but we can use the same skills to find the answer.

Here, Heinrich didn't propose a hypothesis before setting out a study. Instead, he set up a situation where he could observe raven behavior. What he was aligned with the phenomenon he thought was worthy of study—that ravens do bring friends to eat a carcass. However, he was able to add more depth to that observation, figuring out who those ravens recruited and one reason why they do it. The correct answer should highlight the added depth Heinrich added through observation.

Answer Explanation:
Prior observations showed that ravens recruit others to eat a carcass. Heinrich's observation confirmed what was seen, but it provided a radically different reason as to why the other ravens were recruited. It wasn't to eat the carcass; it was to scare away other ravens. This answer reflects that Heinrich confirmed the observation but provided a new reason behind it.

Key Takeaway:
Start to develop a sense for the different parts of studies and experiments—especially the role that hypotheses and theories play in them. In general, a hypothesis will be proposed, a study will be done to test it, and then a theory will be developed that reflects the results of the study and can be used to make predictions about other scenarios.

Incorrect. Heinrich didn't propose a theory, instead identifying behavior he thought was interesting and then further investigating it.

Incorrect. There weren't earlier studies, just earlier reports/observations. These could have come from birdwatchers, not scientists running an experiment. Additionally, his conclusion was a bit different in the motives ascribed to the ravens.

Incorrect. There were no earlier studies to replicate, and his observations expanded on what earlier reports showed.