In the South Pacific, New Caledonian crows use two different kinds of stick tools. One tool is complex. The crows...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
In the South Pacific, New Caledonian crows use two different kinds of stick tools. One tool is complex. The crows shape a stick from a rare plant into a hook. The other tool is basic. The crows find a stick without a hook on the ground. The hooked tool is harder to get but is much better than the basic tool at removing prey from holes. When studying New Caledonian crows, ecologist Barbara Klump found that they hold the hooked tools in their claws when not using them, or they carefully put them in a safe place. The crows don't do the same with the basic tools. This suggests to Klump that the ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
hooked stick tools are more valuable to the crows than the stick tools without hooks.
hooked stick tools are easier for most of the crows to hold than the stick tools without hooks.
crows prefer to share their hooked stick tools but don't share the stick tools without hooks.
crows realize that both kinds of stick tools are less effective than their claws are at removing prey from holes.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "In the South Pacific, New Caledonian crows use two different kinds of stick tools." |
|
| "One tool is complex. The crows shape a stick from a rare plant into a hook." |
|
| "The other tool is basic. The crows find a stick without a hook on the ground." |
|
| "The hooked tool is harder to get but is much better than the basic tool at removing prey from holes." |
|
| "When studying New Caledonian crows, ecologist Barbara Klump found that they hold the hooked tools in their claws when not using them, or they carefully put them in a safe place." |
|
| "The crows don't do the same with the basic tools." |
|
Part B: Main Point and Argument Flow
Main Point: New Caledonian crows treat their more effective hooked tools differently than their basic tools, suggesting something about how they value these tools.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that crows use two types of tools with different effectiveness levels, then presents a key behavioral observation about how the crows treat these tools differently when not using them, leading to an inference about what this behavior suggests.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The key evidence is that crows treat the two tools very differently when not using them
- They carefully hold or store the hooked tools, but do not do the same with basic tools
- We know the hooked tools are harder to get but much more effective
- When animals invest extra care in preserving certain objects, it typically indicates those objects have greater importance or value to them
- The differential treatment strongly suggests the crows recognize the superior worth of the harder-to-obtain, more effective tools
- So the right answer should indicate that the crows value the hooked tools more highly than the basic ones
hooked stick tools are more valuable to the crows than the stick tools without hooks.
✓ Correct
- This directly matches our prethinking about differential value
- The careful storage/holding behavior indicates the crows recognize these tools are worth preserving
- Makes logical sense: harder to get + more effective + careful treatment = higher value
hooked stick tools are easier for most of the crows to hold than the stick tools without hooks.
✗ Incorrect
- Focuses on ease of holding rather than the preservation behavior
- The passage shows crows holding hooked tools carefully, not that they are easier to hold
- Misses the key point about why they bother to preserve these tools
crows prefer to share their hooked stick tools but don't share the stick tools without hooks.
✗ Incorrect
- Introduces sharing behavior that is not mentioned anywhere in the passage
- The evidence is about individual storage/preservation, not social behavior
crows realize that both kinds of stick tools are less effective than their claws are at removing prey from holes.
✗ Incorrect
- Contradicts the passage, which states hooked tools are "much better" at removing prey
- Claims crows think claws are more effective, but the passage shows they value and preserve the tools