PrepTest 109

Incorrect. This answer describes why they wouldn't wait until it gets cooler—at that time, predators come out. It might make sense for the ants to risk the heat rather than the predators, so this answer explains their choice of scavenging time and thus is incorrect.

Incorrect. Since the stimulus notes that the ants are scouting for food, navigation would be key. If it's harder to navigate later in the day, then that would explain why the ants scavenge when they do.

Incorrect. If the ants risk missing out on the food if they wait because other scavengers will get at it, then it makes sense that they'd brave the heat in order to go foraging.

Incorrect. If it's even hotter at home, then leaving the nest to go find food would be the safer thing to do, thus explaining why they leave their nests during the midday heat.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Bizarro Paradox

Stimulus Summary:
The Sahara desert is dangerously hot. Silver ants go out in the midday heat to forage for food, but they can also die from the heat.

Answer Anticipation:
As with all Paradox questions, it's important to clearly define the paradox. This can be even more important in Bizarro Paradox questions, as there will be at least four ways to resolve the paradox that tend to be a bit varied, so we need to be crystal clear on the paradox so that we don't rule out a correct answer.

Here, the paradox topic is mentioned in the question stem—the silver ant's choice of scavenging times. Why is it paradoxical? It's noted that they scout in the midday heat for animals that died from the heat, so that makes sense—the hottest times of the day would be the time when you'd presumably be most likely to find an animal that died from the heat.

However, it then notes that the ants can, themselves, die from the heat. If that's the case, then why wouldn't they wait until later when it's safer to forage? Any answer that addresses this question will serve to resolve the paradox. And as there are four answers that do so, we shouldn't try to anticipate them all—we have the question we need answered, so let's head to the answers.

Answer Explanation:
Even with this process, it's still established that they become victims of the heat. As such, this doesn't explain why they're going out in the midday heat, and so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
For Bizarro Paradox questions, there will be a lot of answers that provide an explanation for the unexpected phenomenon! Forming a question that the incorrect answers will provide an answer to is more important than anticipating each of those wrong answers.