Question

Ethologists, people who study animal behavior, have traditionally divided an organism’s actions into two categories: learned behavior (based on experience) and instinctive behavior (based on genotype). Some current scholars reject this distinction, claiming that all behavior is a predictable interaction of experience and genotype. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the arguments made in the sentence above?

• A. All organisms with identical genotypes and identical experience sometimes respond differently in different situations.
• B. All organisms with different genotypes and identical experience always respond identically in identical situations.
• C. All organisms with similar genotypes and similar experience always respond differently in identical situations.
• D. All organisms with identical genotypes and identical experience always respond identically in identical situations.
• E. All organisms with identical genotypes and different experience always respond identically in identical situations.

Hint:

- To \textbf{strengthen an argument}, look for evidence that directly aligns with the conclusion.
- Pay close attention to words like “always” and “identical,” as they show certainty and support predictability.
- Eliminate options that show exceptions, contradictions, or irrelevance.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: The scholars’ argument is that all behavior can be explained as a predictable interaction of two factors: genotype (instinctive factor) and experience (learned factor). If both these factors are identical, then the resulting behavior should also be identical.
Step 2: To strengthen this claim, we need evidence showing that organisms with the same genotype and the same experience always behave the same way in identical conditions.
Step 3: Option (D) directly supports this by stating that organisms with identical genotypes and identical experiences always respond identically in identical situations. This perfectly matches the scholars’ claim of predictability.
Step 4: Other options fail to strengthen the argument:
- (A) weakens it because it shows unpredictability despite identical genotype and experience.
- (B) is irrelevant since different genotypes should not necessarily produce identical behavior.
- (C) contradicts the claim by showing differences despite similarity.
- (E) is irrelevant because different experiences should naturally lead to different behaviors.
Hence, the strongest support comes from Option (D).