#5 - On the plains where it lives, an individual zebra stands out

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Resolve the Paradox. The correct answer choice is (E).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice.

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[mkarimi73]

Is (E) a better answer choice because it is a more powerful choice than (B)? Could I have an explanation as to why (B) can be safely removed with confidence? Thanks.

[atierney]

We can eliminate B because B does not resolve the paradox, mainly, it fails to address the zebra's stripes, and how they function to benefit the zebra's survival in the wild. E does this, of course, by noting the effect of the stripes in a group setting.

[mkarimi73]

We can eliminate B because B does not resolve the paradox, mainly, it fails to address the zebra's stripes, and how they function to benefit the zebra's survival in the wild. E does this, of course, by noting the effect of the stripes in a group setting.

Got it, thanks!

[TootyFrooty]

May I know why not D? I got the question correct but contemplated between d and e, reason being I thought maybe if they have one single zebra to share, more are left out and saved.

[Dana D]

Hey Tooty,

Here we are trying to resolve the paradox between how zebras survive with this striped coloring against prey who are hunting them.

Answer choice (D) says "When lions hunt, the whole pride shares in the food obtained when a prey animal is successfully brought down by one of the hunting lions".

If we added this information into what we know from the stimulus, we now know that not only are zebras easy to spot, but that when lions hunt them, they share the spoils of the hunt with the whole pride. We are still left puzzled as to why zebras have such seemingly poor camouflage. We also don't know that only one zebra is hunted - (D) tells us lions share their hunt, but maybe each lion in the pack individually takes down a zebra because they are just that easy to see with their black and white stripes.

The only answer choice that provides a survival reason for the zebra's coloring is answer choice (E), which tells us that the stripes actually do serve a purpose - they make it harder for the lions to pick out individual zebras.