Question

(6) a subspecies of the more common western gray wolf, mexican gray wolves were hunted to near extinction before 1998; environmental groups like the defenders of wildlife were instrumental in lobbying to protect the predators. (7) state law continues to protect its wolf population, but like other western states, many in new mexico see a need for their state legislature to reconsider that protection. (8) recently, the defenders of wildlife proposed solutions that were well intentioned but burdensome to ranchers; the sierra club has proposed similar animal protection measures throughout the united states. (9) a limited wolf hunting season is a much more practical solution for decreasing the growing number of attacks on the herds of new mexico’s ranchers, who would certainly welcome utilizing the state’s 69,000 hunters to thin the numbers of mexican gray wolves. (10) changing the attitude of environmentalists toward protecting the mexican gray wolf—and quieting their vocal opposition in the state capital—may seem like an impossible task. (11) consider this grim scene repeated on the state’s ranches: the tracks of a mexican gray wolf around a dead calf on the property of a rancher already beset by drought and rising costs. (12) the time has come for the state legislature to ensure that this picture becomes a distant memory. the writer wants to add more information to the third paragraph (sentences 6–9) to support the main argument of the paragraph. all of the following pieces of evidence help achieve this purpose except which one? a data from the new mexico cattlegrowers’ association projecting a record loss of state livestock due to wolf attacks in 2020 b a report from the new mexico department of agriculture detailing the decline of ranchers’ income in the state from 2010 to 2020 c a quote from a noted environmentalist advocating the tagging of endangered wild animals to track their movements throughout the state d an interview from a rancher describing his difficulties in hiring enough workers to protect his herds

Explanation:

The paragraph's main argument is about the conflict between protecting Mexican gray wolves and ranchers' concerns (like attacks on herds, drought, rising costs). Option A (livestock loss data) supports ranchers' issues, B (rancher income decline) supports ranchers' economic struggles, D (rancher's hiring difficulties to protect herds) relates to ranchers' challenges. Option C is about environmentalists advocating for tracking endangered animals, which doesn't support the ranchers' perspective or the conflict; it's about environmentalist actions unrelated to the ranchers' issues in this paragraph.

Answer:

C. A quote from a noted environmentalist advocating the tagging of endangered wild animals to track their movements throughout the state