Read the given passage below and answer the questions. Amid a changing environment, with natural homes of birds getting depleted as natural forests make way for plantations and other such modified terrains, comes the good news of how the great Indian hornbill adapts to such change. A group of researchers from NCBS-TIFR in Bengaluru and Nature Conservation Foundation in Mysuru observed eight hornbill nests, three located in contiguous forests and five located in modified habitats such as coffee plantations. They found that the birds followed similar nesting behaviour but adapted to the changing environment. The team chose to study the great Indian hornbills nesting in the Anamalai hills. For comparison, the researchers located the study in the modified habitat in the Valparai plateau and the contiguous forests in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and the Vazhachal Reserve forests. The modified habitat included tea, coffee and cardamom plantations, and tribal settlements.
Which of the following is not an apt conclusion on the basis of the information provided?

Options

A. Some of the nests were discovered during the study with the help of local tribal assistants.
B. Great hornbills may adapt to habitat modification provided that their key requirements for food and nesting are fulfilled in the habitats like coffee and forest fragments.
C. Considering that hornbills use same nest over years, protection of these known nest trees and retention of large trees that can be potential nests is absolutely essential.
D. None of the above.

Answer

D

Explanation

The correct answer is option E, i.e. All of the above, i.e. all of the above are not an appropriate set of conclusions that can be derived from the information provided.
The given question asks which of the following is not an apt conclusion on the basis of the information provided thus we must look for any such information that cannot be derived from the passage stated.
Option A is not based on the passage as the role of ‘local tribal assistants’ is not mentioned in the given context.
Option B talks about a possibility (because of the word ‘may’) and is thus not a conclusion. Moreover, it poses a particular case of hornbills adapting to the environment if their requirements are fulfilled, which is not explicitly evident from the information provided.
Option C discusses the idea of hornbills using same nest over the years which is contradicting to the idea of adapting to a changed environment.
As all options A, B and C are irrelevant and are not based on the information provided thus, the most correct answer choice is option D