GRE General Test: RC-432514 GRE Reading Comprehension | TOEFL IELTS GMAT GRE SAT ACT PTE ESL

The dusky salamander lives only in slow-moving streams where organic debris settles and accumulates. In almost all places in New York State where dusky salamanders used to live, suburban development has cleared uplands and put down asphalt. As a result, rainwater now runs directly into streams, causing increased flow that slows the accumulation of organic sediments. Therefore, it is probably the increased flow caused by suburban development that is responsible for the dusky salamander’s virtual disappearance from New York State.

Which if the following, if true, most strongly supports the argument?

A Since 1980 the suburban population of New York State has grown ten times faster than urban population.

B Dusky salamanders have disappeared in the past ten years from some suburban areas of New York State that were originally developed more than a century ago and that have not experienced significant development for decades.

C The two-line salamander, a species that lives in both slow and swift moving waters, continues to thrive in streams in New York State from which dusky salamanders have disappeared.

D Suburban development in New York State contributes significantly to pollution of local streams with lawn fertilizers that are poisonous to most small aquatic animals.

E Much of the suburban development in New York State has been occurring in areas that never provided prime habitat for dusky salamanders.