GMAT OG2019全新出炉，欧米GMAT整理逻辑新题并附上解析，欧米官网已经更新完毕啦→逻辑新题解析
579. Boreal owls range over a much larger area than do other owls of similar size. Scientists have hypothesized that it is scarcity of prey that leads the owls to range so widely. This hypothesis would be hard to confirm directly, since it is not possible to produce a sufficiently accurate count of the populations of small mammals inhabiting the forests where boreal owls live. Careful study of owl behavior has, however, shown that boreal owls do range over larger areas when they live in regions where food of the sort eaten by small mammals is comparatively sparse. This indicates that the scientists’ hypothesis is not sheer speculation.
In the argument given, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?
A. The first presents an explanatory hypothesis; the second states the main conclusion of the argument.
B. The first presents an explanatory hypothesis; the second presents evidence tending to support this hypothesis.
C. The first presents an explanatory hypothesis; the second presents evidence to support an alternative explanation.
D. The first describes a position that the argument opposes; the second presents evidence to undermine the support for the position being opposed.
E. The first describes a position that the argument opposes; the second states the main conclusion of the argument.
题目大意
北方猫头鹰的活动范围比其他猫头鹰大。科学家假设认为，猎物的不足导致猫头鹰活动的范围这么广。这个假设很难直接证实，因为不可能有足够精确的计算猫头鹰生活的森林里小型哺乳动物的数量。对猫头鹰活动的仔细研究表明，北方猫头鹰会在更大的区域内活动，当他们生活在小型哺乳动物的食物相对较少的地方。这表明科学家的假设不是纯粹的猜测。
解题思路
第一个黑体句前是“Scientists have hypothesized”,所以这句是科学家的假设观点。第二个黑体句在描述一个现象，是一个论据，接着是文章的整体结论，说这表明科学家的假设不是纯粹的猜测，意思也就是科学家的猜测是有道理的，显然文章到最后在一定程度上认可了科学家的说法。第二句是一个论据，在支持第一句的猜测，文章结论也认可这个猜测，选项说到反对的都是错误的，所以答案选B。
这篇文章有转折，但转折标志词后的观点立场和开头是一致的，中间没有黑体的部分是真正的转折，在说假设很难直接的证实。
答案：B