Practice Question

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This week, see how you do on the “strengthening” question below:

When the pistol shrimp snaps its claw, a cavitation bubble is projected, releasing 190 decibels of sound when it pops. Researchers have hypothesized that the acoustic pressure resulting from this sound is strong enough to stun or kill nearby fish or shrimp, and that this is the sole method by which the pistol shrimp hunts for prey.

Each of the following, if true, provides some support for the researchers’ hypothesis EXCEPT:
(A) Acoustic pressure that is over 130 decibels is known to debilitate and cause violent pain in animals.
(B) The grip of a pistol shrimp’s claw is forceful enough to incapacitate even relatively large undersea creatures.
(C) The pistol shrimp’s claws are too unwieldy to allow the shrimp to catch prey manually.
(D) Researchers suspect that the bottlenose dolphin uses its tail to generate acoustic pressure that disorients prey.
(E) The pistol shrimp is slower than most other shrimp species and is unable to chase after fast-moving prey.

Answer Explanation
Researchers’ hypothesis:

1. The acoustic pressure resulting from these cavitation bubbles is strong enough to kill fish or shrimp.
2. The pistol shrimp hunts only by stunning or killing its prey through acoustic pressure.

Observations:

1. Pistol shrimp project a cavitation bubble.
2. The cavitation bubble produces a 190 decibel sound.

The answer should either weaken or fail to affect the researchers’ hypothesis.
Choice B: This choice presents an alternative method by which the shrimp might hunt. If the shrimp’s grip is strong enough to “incapacitate” prey, the sound produced by the claw may have little to no effect on the prey; the grip is sufficient for hunting. Choice B is correct.
Choice A: Per observation (2), the pistol shrimp’s bubbles are louder than sounds that are known to cause pain and to debilitate animals. This supports claim (1) of the hypothesis, that a louder sound may stun or kill nearby animals.
Choice C: If the pistol shrimp’s claws were too unwieldy to allow for manual hunting, the alternate proposal, that these shrimp hunt through the use of cavitation bubbles, is strengthened.
Choice D: This choice strengthens by analogy. If other underwater animals, such as the dolphin, hunt using acoustic pressure, it is possible that pistol shrimp do the same.
Choice E: Because this choice notes that pistol shrimp are unable to chase after their prey and thus to hunt effectively, the hypothesis that their sole hunting method is to project cavitation bubbles, per observation (1), is strengthened.
 

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