Question 42·Hard·Inferences
A 2022 survey of small-scale fishing villages in Southeast Asia found that 64 percent of long-time fishers could correctly identify the exact weeks during which three commercially important species spawn near their shores, knowledge they said had been passed down orally for generations. Government fisheries manuals, however, list only approximate regional spawning periods, often off by a month or more. Because coastal fish populations are becoming increasingly unpredictable as ocean temperatures rise, marine biologists have recently started interviewing the veteran fishers before drafting new conservation guidelines.
Taken together, these circumstances most strongly suggest that by incorporating the fishers’ traditional ecological knowledge into official management plans, policy makers would ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For inference completion questions, summarize the situation and identify the key evidence (especially contrasts and cause/effect). Predict a general outcome that stays close to the text (here, “more accurate timing/regulations”), then eliminate choices that add unsupported specifics (like earlier vs. later), shift the focus to administrative convenience (uniform enforcement), or overstate the implication (replacing scientific monitoring).
Hints
Focus on the contrast in information sources
Compare what veteran fishers know about spawning weeks with what the government manuals say. Which source is described as more precise?
Pay attention to the biologists’ motivation
Why are marine biologists interviewing veteran fishers before drafting new conservation guidelines? What does that suggest the interviews will help them do?
Predict before looking at choices
Predict the most likely benefit of using the fishers’ exact, local timing information in official plans (think: what becomes more correct or better targeted?).
Step-by-step Explanation
Clarify what the question is asking
The question asks what is most strongly suggested would happen if policy makers include fishers’ traditional ecological knowledge in official management plans. You must infer the most logical outcome supported by the passage.
Identify the key contrast in the passage
The passage contrasts two information sources:
- Veteran fishers: can identify the exact weeks when species spawn near their shores.
- Government manuals: provide only approximate regional spawning periods, often off by a month or more.
This implies the fishers’ knowledge is more locally precise than the manuals.
Link the contrast to why biologists are interviewing fishers
Because spawning patterns are becoming more unpredictable as ocean temperatures rise, biologists have started interviewing veteran fishers before drafting new conservation guidelines. That action makes sense if the fishers’ knowledge can help officials write better-targeted, better-timed protections.
Evaluate each choice against the passage
- A claims closures should move earlier than current manuals. The passage says manuals can be off by a month or more, but it does not indicate the error is consistently “later” rather than “earlier.”
- C proposes a single regionwide calendar for streamlined enforcement, but the passage highlights local near-shore spawning knowledge and the inaccuracy of broad regional timing.
- D suggests interviews would largely replace extensive scientific monitoring, which is not stated; interviews are presented as an input to drafting guidelines, not a substitute for research.
Therefore the best supported inference is improve the accuracy of regulations meant to protect vulnerable fish species.