adkikani wrote:
GMATNinja GMATNinjaTwo1. Which of the following best describes the relationship of the first paragraph to the passage as a whole?
Quote:
(A) The first paragraph introduces a general thesis that is elaborated on in detail elsewhere in the passage.
Introduces is mentioned as - It is now possible.. in very first sentence of passage.
General thesis - Digital recording - Elaborated in last para of passage
Quote:
(D) The first paragraph presents a dramatic example of the potential of a process that is described elsewhere in the passage.
Rejected because the phrase - dramatic example - sounded too strong to be proven true.
The first paragraph does not present a
general thesis. Instead, it presents a specific example.
The word "dramatic" might sour you on choice (D). But if we remove that word, then (D) is clearly 100% accurate. So now we just have to decide whether the example cited qualifies as "dramatic" (i.e. "striking" or "sensational"). Well, the author refers to Caruso as a "great operatic tenor", and tells us that it is now possible to hear a recording that is FAR SUPERIOR to any made during his lifetime. Sounds like a dramatic statement to me. Also, this example involves replacing
decades-old technology with new, digital technology. This improvement can certainly be described as dramatic.
(D) is the best answer.
adkikani wrote:
2. According the passage, one of the ways in which analog recording systems differ from digital recording systems is that analog systems
Quote:
(B) record the original sound as a continuous waveform
Quote:
(C) distort the original sound somewhat
This can be inferred from
In analog recording systems, the original sound is represented as a continuous waveform created by variations in the sound's amplitude over time. When analog playback systems reproduce this waveform, however, they invariably introduce distortions.Since original sound is represented as a continuous waveform.
We are told that analog recording systems cause distortion: "When analog playback systems reproduce this waveform, however, they invariably introduce distortion."
We are also told that digital recording systems cause distortion: "it is
impossible for digital systems to avoid
some distortion."
Since both types produce distortion, (C) must be eliminated. We are looking for a way in which the two methods
differ. "In analog recording systems, the original sound is represented as a continuous waveform... Digital recordings,
by contrast, reduce the original sound to a series of
discrete (i.e. not continuous) numbers that represent the sound's waveform."
(B) is the best answer.