hard · GRE Verbal

Naturalist: On this island, the native songbird population has declined sharply over the past decade. During the same period, a non-native snake that preys on bird eggs became abundant on the island. Some conclude that the snakes caused the songbird decline. But the decline cannot be blamed on the snakes, because the snakes are found only in the island's lowland forests, whereas the songbirds nest almost exclusively in the highland forests, where the snakes are absent. The naturalist's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it (Select ONE answer.)

1. Presumes, without justification, that the snakes could not have contributed to the decline in combination with other factors.
2. Takes for granted that the current geographic separation of snakes and songbirds also held throughout the past decade.
3. Fails to consider that the snakes might prey on species other than the native songbirds.
4. Assumes that a non-native predator must always harm the native species it encounters.
5. Overlooks the possibility that the songbird population might recover in the future.

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