PrepTest 141, Section 4, 5. While biodiversity is indispensable…

How will the right answer fit in terms of support and conclusion?

Only the right answer will match the conclusion in the passage.

Highlight the main conclusion in the passage, if there is one:

biodiversity does not require the survival of every currently existing species

While [BACKGROUND], [CONCLUSION]. [BACKGROUND]; [SUPPORT].

So basically the argument is biodiversity doesn’t require every single species, because more than one species can fill ecological niches. It doesn’t really make sense if you say it the other way around, or replace ‘because’ with ‘therefore’.

Map the wording of the answers to the wording of the passage:

(A) Biodiversity does not require that all existing species…

Boom. This means exactly the same thing as your highlighted conclusion. This is a great opportunity to pick this winner and keep going without spending time reading the rest of the list.

(B) There are various…

This is just background that we didn’t even need to hear to establish the conclusion.

(C) The survival of life on Earth depends upon biodiversity.

You know that was just background because it followed “While”, meaning the author was just conceding a little point in order to clarify their conclusion.

(D) There are many ecological niches that can be filled…

You stuck ‘therefore’ or ‘because’ in there and proved this statement is used as support.

(E) The species most indispensable for biodiversity…

…is bees. Right? Is it bees? Seems like it would be bees. I’m only playing around, since we all know the “most indispensable” species never came up in the passage.

(A) is the correct answer.