GMAT Test Prep: CR-78414246 GMAT Critical Reasoning | TOEFL IELTS GMAT GRE SAT ACT PTE ESL

Zoologists have determined that the size of the litters produced by mating pairs of Beringer sloths is largely determined by the parent animals' diet. Sloths that feed primarily on catalpa trees tend to produce smaller numbers of offspring than do those that feed primarily on tulip trees. A new theory posits that the parent sloths choose their diet to achieve optimal population size for a given year, producing fewer offspring in dry years when food scarcity would threaten a large population.

Which of the following, if true, would provide the strongest support for the theory that Beringer sloths choose their diets to suit the conditions of a given year?

Select one of the following answer choices

A In a forest dominated by catalpa trees, parent sloths ate far more tulip leaves than catalpa leaves in dry years.

B In a forest dominated by tulip trees, parent sloths ate somewhat more tulip leaves than catalpa leaves in wet years.

C The population of sloths in a particular area varied widely over several years during which precipitation remained relatively constant.

D In a forest with roughly equal numbers of catalpa and tulip trees, parent sloths ate far more catalpa leaves than tulip leaves in dry years.

E In a forest with roughly equal numbers of catalpa and tulip trees, parent sloths ate far more tulip leaves than catalpa leaves in dry years.