6-Minute Test: Analogy - CLAT MCQ

Trees are architects in the forest ecosystem, building habitats and stabilizing soil. In the pond, aquatic plants serve a similar role as architects, providing structure and oxygen, making them analogous.

The sun is the power source** fueling herbivores (consumers via plants) indirectly in the forest ecosystem. Algae, as the pond’s power source, fuels fish (consumers) who feed on it, completing the analogy.

Predators (e.g., wolves, herons) regulate consumers, while decomposers (e.g., fungi, bacteria) recycle waste. The passage implies both rely on consumers (herbivores, fish) for their roles, but their functions differ, making them unrelated in purpose.

Critics argue analogies oversimplify. If ecologists use analogies as a tool alongside detailed studies (as implied by their use in analysis), this reduces oversimplification, weakening the critics’ critique.

Wolves are predators (regulators) in the forest, controlling herbivores. In the grassland, coyotes, as predators, regulate consumers like bison, making them the analogous role.