The questions are based on the following passage:
The ground is full of seeds that cannot rise into seedlings;
the seedlings rob one another of air, light and water, the
strongest robber winning the day, and extinguishing his
competitors. Year after year, the wild animals with which
5 man never interferes are, on the average, neither more nor
less numerous than they were; and yet we know that the
annual produce of every pair is from one to perhaps a
million young; so that it is mathematically certain that,
on the average, as many are killed by natural causes as
10 are born every year, and those only escape which happen
to be a little better fitted to resist destruction than
those which die. The individuals of a species are like
the crew of a foundered ship, and none but good swimmers
have a chance of reaching the land.
1. The “robber” in the first sentence is most like which of the following mentioned in the paragraph
A. wild animals
B. produce of every pair
C. individuals of a species
D. crew of a foundered ship
E. good swimmers
2. The main point the author conveys is that
A. natural populations of animals in the wild increase in numbers exponentially
B. all members of a species are in violent competition with one another
C. in the struggle to survive, the fittest survive
D. members of one generation of a population are all more or less alike
E. man’s interference destroys the natural balance
________________________
- The “strongest robber” is the winner who extinguishes his competitors. The reference to wild animals is about that stability of their population. That rules out (A). Some of the “produce of every pair” survive, some don’t. So (B) doesn’t work. “Individuals of a species” (C) are likened to the “crew of a foundered ship” (D) because both are referring to the fact that only the strongest will survive. “Good swimmers” are the ones with the best chance to reach land and, therefore, to survive. The have the best chance of being the winner, or the “strongest robber.” The answer is (E).
- It is pretty clear throughout this article that the author is talking about the idea that only the strongest members of a species tend to survive. In fact, the opening line of the paragraph suggests, in a poetic way, this very idea: “The ground is full of seeds that cannot rise into seedlings; the seedlings rob one another of air, light and water, the strongest robber winning the day, and extinguishing his competitors.” The answer is (C).
source: majortests.com
