Passage- Ill In spring, polar bear mothers emerge from dens with three month old cubs. The mother bear has fas

Question

Passage- Ill In spring, polar bear mothers emerge from dens with three month old cubs. The mother bear has fasted for as long as eight months but that does not stop the young from demanding full access to her remaining reserves. If there are triplets, the most persistent stands to gain an extra meal and it may have the meal at the expense of others. The smallest of the litter forfeits many meals to stronger siblings. Females are protective of their cubs but tend to ignore family

rivalry over food. In 21 years of photographing polar bears, I've only once seen the smallest of triplets survive till autumn.

With reference to the passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. Polar bears fast as long as eight months due to non-availability of prey.

2. Polar bears always give birth to triplets.

Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?

Accepted Answer

Neither assumption is valid based on the passage.

Assumption 1: The passage states the mother bear "has fasted for as long as eight months" but does not provide any reason for this fast. It does not mention prey availability or lack thereof. Therefore, assuming the fast is due to non-availability of prey is an unsupported inference.

Assumption 2: The passage mentions "If there are triplets" and "the smallest of triplets survive". This indicates that triplets are a possibility and have been observed, but it does not state that polar bears *always* give birth to triplets. The phrasing "If there are triplets" implies it's a conditional scenario, not a universal rule.

Since neither assumption can be directly inferred or supported by the information given in the passage, option D is correct.

Answer

1 only

Answer

2 only

Answer

Both 1 and 2

Answer

Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

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