After a recent oil spill, volunteers rescued affected birds and nursed them back to health. Many of the birds were too badly injured to be saved, and only about 20% of the birds affected by the spill survived, even with volunteer efforts. Efforts to alleviate the effects of an oil spill are clearly a waste because even when volunteers try to save wildlife, the death rate is still so high that it is not worth the effort.
Each of the following, if true, would undermine the conclusion of the passage EXCEPT:
A)Without the volunteer efforts, the survival rate for birds would have only been about 5%.
B)Even if unsuccessful, many volunteers reported that the work made them more likely to volunteer again for other more successful environmental causes.
C)Most birds become infertile after an oil spill, even if they are successfully rehabilitated.
D)The volunteers developed better techniques for bird rescue as a result of their experience, so next time they expect the survival rate to be much higher.
E)The volunteers successfully rescued four members of an extremely endangered species of bird.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The only answer that would not undermine the conclusion is that most birds become infertile after an oil spill, even if they are successfully rehabilitated. While the rest of the answers point to positive aspects of the rescue effort, answer C supports the conclusion that the rescue efforts were a waste of time since the birds become infertile.

After a Recent Oil Spill, Volunteers Rescued Affected Birds and Nursed