Question

** FANNING + MEDAL INCLUDED!!!

Two scientists in British Columbia are counting trout spawning grounds (called redds) along 5 km of a stream. The presence of milky-colored fish spawn indicates a redd. The scientists walk together, surveying the same areas. What is the most likely reason for them to count different numbers of redds?
A. The satellite sensor that is collecting data from the stream is malfunctioning
B. The number of redds is too small a sample to be counted accurately
C. Some places look as if they might or might not be redds, and different scientists identify them differently

Answer 1

Answer choice D is...

D. The two scientists study different sections of the stream.

Answer 2

That couldn't fit :P

Answer 3

D is hard to believe since the question says "walking together", implying that they're sampling the same thing. I say implying, because if the waterway is very wide, then they could be sampling different parts of the width. Same areas suggests just that - same areas.
There's no mention of any satellite navigation in the body of the question, so I'd assume that they're using their eye only.That would knock out A.
Between B and C I'd go for C, scientists' interpretation.
For B to hold, if there were, say, three milky coloured areas in the water course, then presumably each scientist is capable of counting to three ? (I can't say that I am, some times.) Which leaves C.
I don't know what British Columbia has to do with it, unless there's a connection between BC and Satellite navigation and all I've said so far is wrong ..... ?
Let me know the answer, please
http://perendis.webs.com

Answer 4

As osprey stated, there is no knowledge of any satellite exclaimed within the passage given, so it shows that the answer A may be knocked out of your choices, leaving you a 33% chance of picking the correct answer with the remaining 3. (The number of redds is too small a sample to be counted accurately; the sense in this is very invalid toward the fact that no sample is too small to be counted with accuracy. May so be if the sample was too big, but that's not the case. B is out. Leaving you with C and D as your final two choices, a good ole 50% chance to pick the correct one. (Some places look as if they might or might not be redds, and different scientists identify them differently; this seems to likely occur, because they are surveying the same area, but both scientists may have two different opinions.
(The two scientists study different sections of the stream. This seems to likely not occur, because the passage surely states that the scientists are walking together AND surveying the same areas.
So, it does seem that osprey has chosen the correct choice for the answer, as well as I determined it to be with the evidence given. I hope this helps a little bit further for you.

Answer 5

Thank you both <3

Answer 6

Anytime!

Answer 7

:)

Answer 8

You are welcome.
I may be missing something here, such as the source of the teaching which generates these questions (which I am missing), but there are quite a few questions which seem to be sort of vague in their language but ask for a multi choice or a yes/no answer. The most recent one was about the greek philosopher Aristotle and whether he "was a true scientist". I'd say that that question is more for a debate with masses of people, than a yes or a no answer. Still, the people who post these questions can't control the shenanigans of their lecturers/teachers and the training courses, nor can they control the questions. Mind you, by popular, and sometimes "peer review", I'd wonder about quite few of them.
However, of course, the poster has to be supported, either way, so it could be sometimes "batten down the hatches" and try to work out what the question actually means from the standpoint of the level that the subject is being taught at.
And, now,

a wonky smile