Networks of blood vessels in bats’ wings serve only to disperse heat generated in ﬂight. This heat is generated only because bats ﬂap their wings. Thus paleontologists’ recent discovery that the winged dinosaur Sandactylus had similar networks of blood vessels in the skin of its wings provides evidence for the hypothesis that Sandactylus ﬂew by ﬂapping its wings, not just by gliding.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument in the passage?

Answer Choices

Correct answer marked below

Sandactylus’ wings were far more similar to the wings of bats than to the wings of birds.

Paleontologists do not know whether winged dinosaurs other than Sandactylus had similar networks of blood vessels in the skin of their wings.

The mechanism used by bats for dispersing heat in ﬂight could, in principle, work for much larger ﬂying creatures, such as Sandactylus.

Not all the bats that use the mechanism described in the passage for dispersing heat in ﬂight live in climates similar to the climate in which Sandactylus lived.

Other winged dinosaurs that ﬂew only by gliding had networks of blood vessels in the skin of their wings similar to those that Sandactylus had.

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Comments

KumarAug 3

thanks, this one was pretty straightforward. E directly attacks the link between the blood vessels and flapping.

NguyenAug 12

yeah, exactly. if gliding dinos also had the networks, the evidence doesn't support flapping specifically.

What this question tests

What it tests

Whether you can identify the option that most undermines an argument's conclusion.

Common trap

Choosing an irrelevant objection or one that attacks the premise rather than the reasoning.