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Text Solution:

The important thing to notice about this question is that we need to fill blanks (ii) and (iii) in order to know which answer is most logical for blank (i). In other words, “the initial relationship between humans and dogs” could be something positive or negative; we can’t tell based on the known information that wolves “were attracted to scraps of food that they might be able to gather at human campsites.” So, we must examine the answer choices for blanks (ii) and (iii) to see which choices create a logical pairing.

There would be no reason for humans to fear wolves that defeated, recognized, or neglected humans’ foes, so we can eliminate “feared” for blank (ii). Likewise, there is no logical connection between humans’ hunting the wolves and the wolves’ defeating, recognizing, or neglecting the humans’ foes, so we can eliminate “hunted.”

So, we’re left with “needed” for blank (ii). Humans certainly wouldn’t have “needed” wolves that “neglected” humans’ foes, so choice (I) is out for blank (iii). “Recognized” seems closer to what we need but is still too neutral given the context. After all, just because wolves “recognized” humans’ foes, we can’t assume that the wolves did anything to help the humans.

Thus, the only logical pairing for blanks (ii) and (iii) is “needed” and “defeated.” Let’s fill in those blanks, so we can better evaluate blank (i):

Theories suggest that the initial relationship between humans and dogs was (i)__________: wild “dogs,” or wolves, were attracted to scraps of food that they might be able to gather at human campsites, and humans needed the wolves, which defeated the humans’ foes.
 

So, the humans provided food for the wolves, and the wolves provided protection for the humans. Having filled in these blanks, we can now clearly see that “the initial relationship between humans and dogs” was “mutually advantageous.”

There is nothing in the sentence that indicates that the relationship was “woefully (horribly) unbalanced,” and we certainly are given no evidence that the relationship was “inherently (fundamentally) dangerous.” On the contrary, we’re told that the wolves protected the humans.

“Mutually advantageous” is the only logical choice for blank (i).

LEARNING JOURNAL

What went wrong, and what can you do differently next time?

Was there a particular sticking point, breakdown in your logic or conceptual knowledge, bad habit, or careless mistake that led you to the wrong answer? At what point in your process did that error occur?

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