A sizable portion of the general public knows that there has been some

Question

A sizable portion of the general public knows that there has been some controversy regarding Pluto's classification, though officially it has remained a planet since its discovery. Less well known is the existence of at least 70,000 other small bodies orbiting the sun beyond Neptune. These objects, most likely formed during the accretional phases of the solar system, are primarily found within a ring known as the Kuiper Belt.

Classical Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) orbit far from Neptune, allowing them to survive for the age of the solar system. They also have relatively small eccentricities in their orbits, though some Classical KBOs have orbital inclinations high enough to imply that they had been excited, possibly by planetesimals, possibly by a passing star, or possibly by some as yet unknown means. The passing star hypothesis requires a star to pass about 100 Astronomical Units from our sun, a rare event, though certainly possible if our sun formed with others in a cluster. (One Astronomical Unit or AU is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun.)

Scattered KBOs have large, eccentric orbits. The scattering effect of their occasional proximity to Neptune can send them out of the solar system entirely, where they may end up orbiting in the Oort Cloud. The influence of Neptune can also send the objects into planet-crossing orbits, where these objects are then classified as short-period comets. KBOs in a third category orbit the sun twice during the time it takes Neptune to orbit three times. As the same can be said of Pluto, these objects are known as Plutinos. (This has led to a semantic conundrum, since Pluto fits the definition of a Plutino, which, however, means "little Pluto.")

The Kuiper Belt is actually much smaller than it once was. The development of Neptune caused collisions that turned many KBOs into dust that blown into interstellar space by the Solar wind. However, some objects, larger even than Pluto, may yet be found beyond 70 AUs.   1 
 1. According to the passage, which of the following can be inferred about Kuiper Belt Objects?

A.They orbit between Neptune and Pluto. 
B.They are all affected by the presence of Neptune. 
C.At least 70,000 of them are known to exist. 
D.The number of them is decreasing. 
E.Some of them travel beyond the solar system.

2 
 2. It can be inferred from the passage that Scattered KBOs 
 
A.have orbits that are more eccentric than those of Plutinos 
B.have smaller inclinations than Classical KBOs 
C.end up as comets or as objects that orbit outside the solar system 
D.are at times far enough from Neptune to escape its scattering effect 
E.have been effected by planetesimals

3 
 3. According to the passage, which of the following can be inferred about Pluto? 
 
A.It travels around the sun twice in the time it takes Neptune to orbit three times. 
B.There is no consensus in the scientific community about Pluto's' official classification 
C.It is the largest object in the Kuiper Belt. 
D.It is located more than 70 AUs from the sun. 
E.Its orbit is characterized by relatively small eccentricities.

Nikhil · Answer

Talayva Please format the post following the rules specified here https://gmatclub.com/forum/rc-forum-rul ... 55874.html

Talayva · Answer

I edited as per your advise. But, it would be better if all this formatting could be done graphically . I had to understand code first .

SWAT09 · Answer

Q2.It can be inferred from the passage that Scattered KBOs
A.have orbits that are more eccentric than those of Plutinos - the comparison made cannot be derived from passage
B.have smaller inclinations than Classical KBOs - the comparison made cannot be derived from passage
C.end up as comets or as objects that orbit outside the solar system - classical KBOs end up as comets as per passage
D.are at times far enough from Neptune to escape its scattering effect - The scattering effect of their  occasional proximity  to Neptune can send then out of the solar system entirely  correct 
E.have been effected by planetesimals - classical KBOs are effected by planetesimals.

3.According to the passage, which of the following can be inferred about Pluto?
A.It travels around the sun twice in the time it takes Neptune to orbit three times. - KBOs in a third category orbit the sun twice during the time it takes Neptune to orbit three times.  As the same can be said of Pluto,   correct 
B.There is no consensus in the scientific community about Pluto's' official classification - general public has the perception that there is some controversy..but it cannot be derived that scientific community has some disagreement over pluto's classification
C.It is the largest object in the Kuiper Belt. - not mentioned in passage
D.It is located more than 70 AUs from the sun. - However, some objects, larger even than Pluto, may yet be found beyond 70 AUs.
E.Its orbit is characterized by relatively small eccentricities.- classical KBOs have small eccentricities.

can someone help with Q1.

Talayva · Answer

Question 1

Option E
 The scattering effect of their occasional proximity to Neptune can send then out of the solar system entirely, where they may end up orbiting in the Oort Cloud. 
Option C Notice the word primarily 
At least 70,000 other small bodies orbiting the sun beyond Neptune. These objects, most likely formed during the accretional phases of the solar system, are primarily found within a ring known as the Kuiper Belt. 
Option B 
Classical Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) orbit far from Neptune, allowing them to survive for the age of the solar system. 
Option D
The Kuiper Belt is actually much smaller than it once was

Nikhil · Answer

1.According to the passage, which of the following can be inferred about Kuiper Belt Objects?

A.They orbit between Neptune and Pluto.

INCORRECT  The Kuiper Belt Objects orbit far from Neptune

B.They are all affected by the presence of Neptune.

INCORRECT  Only scattered KBO's are affected by the presence of Neptune

C.At least 70,000 of them are known to exist.

INCORRECT  The passage specifies 70,000 small bodies are primarily found within a ring known as the Kuiper Belt. This implies that some of these bodies are not found in Kuiper Belt and are not called Kuiper Belt Objects. Hence KBO's can be < 70,000

D.The number of them is decreasing.

Out of scope . The passage doesn't talk about the decrease in number of KBO's

E.Some of them travel beyond the solar system.

CORRECT  Neptune can send them out of the solar system entirely, where they may end up orbiting in the Oort Cloud implies that some KBO's travel beyond solar system.

mohagar · Answer

Hi team , could you please provide the reasonin as to why OPtion C for both Q 1 and Q2 is incorrect

mohagar · Answer

sajjad  Q1 and Q2 why is option c for both incorrect

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Hi Mohagar

1. According to the passage, which of the following can be inferred about Kuiper Belt Objects?

C. At least 70,000 of them are known to exist.

The passage states the following: "Less well known is the existence of at least 70,000 other small bodies orbiting the sun beyond Neptune. These objects...are primarily found within a ring known as the Kuiper Belt."

From this it is evident that not all the >70000 objects orbiting the sun beyond Neptune are found in the Kuiper Belt. Some of them are not within the Kuiper Belt. From the information given in the passage, we cannot say for sure whether the Kuiper Belt itself contains >70000 objects.

2.It can be inferred from the passage that Scattered KBOs

C. end up as comets or as objects that orbit outside the solar system

This option implies that  all  the scattered KBOs either end up as comets or orbit outside the solar system. The passage clearly states "KBOs in a third category orbit the sun twice during the time it takes Neptune to orbit three times", meaning that some of these objects  do  orbit the sun. Also, regarding comets, the passage states "The influence of Neptune can also send the objects into planet-crossing orbits, where these objects are then classified as short-period comets". Clearly, not all of the objects become comets. Therefore, it cannot be said with certainty that all scattered KBOs will either be comets or orbit outside the solar system.

Hope this helps.

TetianaSlavova · Answer

Kindly help with #2. "The scattering effect of their occasional proximity to Neptune" was written in the passage - what proves that D is correct?

2.It can be inferred from the passage that Scattered KBOs
A.have orbits that are more eccentric than those of Plutinos
B.have smaller inclinations than Classical KBOs
C.end up as comets or as objects that orbit outside the solar system
D.are at times far enough from Neptune to escape its scattering effect
E.have been effected by planetesimals

VerbalBot · Answer

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