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655-705 Level|   Long Passage|   Science|                        
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junii
Please someone explain in Detail Q2?

Hey junii, Perhaps citing the exact place where the answer (Option D) lies might help.

1. Caffeine (last sentence of the 2nd paragraph- "Snyder et al. propose that caffeine, which is structurally similar to adenosine, is able to bind to both types of receptors, which prevents adenosine from attaching there and allows the neurons to fire more readily than they otherwise would."

2. Adenosine (2nd to last sentence in the 1st paragraph) - "Adenosine normally depresses neuron firing in many areas of the brain."

I'm happy to help further if needed. :)
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Can someone explain Q1 and Q6?
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Official Explanation

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

Difficulty Level: 700

Explanation

A. The passage discusses a current investigation, not one planned for the future.

B. The passage examines two explanations, but the earlier theory is discussed only to expose its weakness and the differences between the explanations are not reconciled. Most of the passage is devoted to the more recent hypothesis.

C. Only two theories are presented in the passage.

D. Correct. The recent hypothesis provides an alternative to an earlier one and is supported by evidence and arguments.

E. Lines 32–37 do pose such a challenge to the earlier theory; however, the challenge is a small part of the whole passage. Similarly, in the final paragraph, an exception to the more recent theory is introduced, only to be dismissed as an unimportant concern.

The correct answer is D.

6. The author quotes Snyder et al.[highlighted] in lines 43–48 most probably in order to

Difficulty Level: 700

Explanation

A. The quotation explains the results of an experiment, not assumptions about a theory.

B. Correct. The quotation summarizes the experiment with mice and reports a major finding in support of the hypothesis.

C. The quotation generalizes on the basis of the experiment; it does not limit the finding to mice.

D. Specific, not general, correlations were made between the ability to bind to receptors and to stimulate locomotion.

E. The passage includes no such objections; therefore no refutations are needed.

The correct answer is B.

AasthaSinghvi
Can someone explain Q1 and Q6?
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Is this an official guide passage??

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JenniferMassey
Is this an official guide passage??

Hi JenniferMassey

Yes! this passage is from the official guide Verbal review 2016.

PS: You can see the source tag area to know the source of the question.
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Is this actually a 600-700 level passage? I'm generally pretty good at RC but found this to be fairly challenging and I would have thought it was a 700-level passage if I didn't see the tags. Any thoughts on this?
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UserMaple5
Is this actually a 600-700 level passage? I'm generally pretty good at RC but found this to be fairly challenging and I would have thought it was a 700-level passage if I didn't see the tags. Any thoughts on this?

The following should be the difficulty level of each question, in my opinion.

Question #1: 700
Question #2: 700
Question #3: 500
Question #4: 600
Question #5: 600
Question #6: 700
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This RC took me around 31 minutes to solve! Should I really appear on the test? However, I am not timing myself right now and I am in my early days of my preparation. On the bright side, I corrected 5 out of 6. :) :'(
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Hi Sajjad1994, can you help me with the question no 6? I picked D because I assumed that the highlighted passage talked about correlations and I rejected B here since it did not talk about any experiments specifically.

6. The author quotes Snyder et al.[highlighted] in lines 43–48 most probably in order to

(A) reveal some of the assumptions underlying their theory
(B) summarize a major finding of their experiments
(C) point out that their experiments were limited to the mouse
(D) indicate that their experiments resulted only in general correlations
(E) refute the objections made by supporters of the older theory
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Please read the explanation in the post in the link below

https://gmatclub.com/forum/caffeine-the ... l#p2827944

Thank you!

jarbit
Hi Sajjad1994, can you help me with the question no 6? I picked D because I assumed that the highlighted passage talked about correlations and I rejected B here since it did not talk about any experiments specifically.

6. The author quotes Snyder et al.[highlighted] in lines 43–48 most probably in order to

(A) reveal some of the assumptions underlying their theory
(B) summarize a major finding of their experiments
(C) point out that their experiments were limited to the mouse
(D) indicate that their experiments resulted only in general correlations
(E) refute the objections made by supporters of the older theory
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Hi Experts,

GMATNinjaTwo
GMATNinja
KarishmaB

I have read the above explanations for Q6 and I'm still not able to figure out why the option is B and not A.

I thought the assumption is "the ability of the compounds to compete at the receptors correlates with locomotion." Thus, this is how caffeine causes stimulation.

I'm still not able to understand how is it a finding of an experiment.

Thanks
Kitty
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KittyDoodles
I thought the assumption is "the ability of the compounds to compete at the receptors correlates with locomotion." Thus, this is how caffeine causes stimulation.

I'm still not able to understand how is it a finding of an experiment.

This problem follows GMAC's typical pattern: The more technical detail there is in the text, the LESS important it is for you to understand those details specifically.

In fact, all you really need to figure out the role of the quote is to notice the verb with which it's presented:
"..., they reported"

What, from a scientific experiment, would you report? You'd report the findings of the experiment. (You could e.g. list or mention assumptions made in the experimental design, but it wouldn't make any sense to say that you were 'reporting' assumptions.)


If you do comprehend what's stated in the quote, then you can notice that a statistical correlation is being reported ("the higher X is, the higher Y is as well").
Correlations come from data, which must be the results of the experiment (not its assumptions or anything else).
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Q5 structural similarity(identical) vs structural relationship(between two objects, can be similar or different) got me wrong, how can one say both are same.
Q1 primary purpose: blank on that question, lost in such long RC... can anybody help how to reach the PP?
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Question 5


hrusher
Q5 structural similarity(identical) vs structural relationship(between two objects, can be similar or different) got me wrong, how can one say both are same.
Regarding Q5, let's start by considering the following key points from the passage:

  • According to Snyder, caffeine "affects behavior by countering the activity in the human brain of...adenosine."
  • Adenosine normally creates its effect by "inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters."
  • Adenosine normally binds to receptors A1 and A2.
  • "Caffeine, which is structurally similar to adenosine, is able to bind to both types of receptors..." (i.e. A1 and A2).

Let's now consider answer choice (C):

Quote:
5. Snyder et al. suggest that caffeine’s ability to bind to A1 and A2 receptors can be at least partially attributed to which of the following?

(C) The structural similarity between caffeine and neurotransmitters
The passage does talk about a structural similarity. However, it tells us that caffeine is similar to adenosine, not too neurotransmitters. Notice adenosine inhibits the release of neurotransmitters, so adenosine itself is not a neurotransmitter. Eliminate (C).

Let's now consider (B):

Quote:
(B) The structural relationship between caffeine and adenosine
As you suggest, the word "structural relationship" doesn't necessarily mean similarity. It could mean similarity, or it could mean some other type of relationship.

That being said, the passage does suggest that caffeine's ability to bind to A1 and and A2 is related to its structural similarity to adenosine. And if two structures are similar, you could say they have a "structural relationship."

So while (B) doesn't specify that the structures are similar exactly, it's still a true statement: the structural relationship between caffeine and adenosine (i.e. in this case, the fact they have similar structures) helps explain why caffeine can bind A1 and A2. For that reason, (B) is correct.


Question 1


hrusher
Q1 primary purpose: blank on that question, lost in such long RC... can anybody help how to reach the PP?
For tips on identifying the primary purpose of this passage, check out this video, which analyzes this passage in detail and goes through several of the questions (including question 1). For general pointers on how to identify the primary purpose, check out our RC guide for beginners or this RC video playlist.

I hope that helps!
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Sajjad1994
Please read the explanation in the post in the link below

https://gmatclub.com/forum/caffeine-the ... l#p2827944

Thank you!

jarbit
Hi Sajjad1994, can you help me with the question no 6? I picked D because I assumed that the highlighted passage talked about correlations and I rejected B here since it did not talk about any experiments specifically.

6. The author quotes Snyder et al.[highlighted] in lines 43–48 most probably in order to

(A) reveal some of the assumptions underlying their theory
(B) summarize a major finding of their experiments
(C) point out that their experiments were limited to the mouse
(D) indicate that their experiments resulted only in general correlations
(E) refute the objections made by supporters of the older theory

Sajjad1994
I would be so appreciative if you also perhaps have the Official Explanations (I do not see the exact code) for the following questions:

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the theory proposed by Snyder et al?
(A) At very low concentrations in the human brain, both caffeine and theophylline tend to have depressive rather than stimulatory effects on human behavior.
(B) The ability of caffeine derivatives at very low concentrations to dislodge adenosine from its receptors in mouse brains correlates well with their ability to stimulate mouse locomotion at these low concentrations.
(C) The concentration of cyclic AMP in target neurons in the human brain that leads to increased neuron firing can be produced by several different phosphodiesterase inhibitors in addition to caffeine.
(D) The concentration of caffeine required to dislodge adenosine from its receptors in the human brain is much greater than the concentration that produces behavioral stimulation in humans.
(E) The concentration of IBMX required to dislodge adenosine from its receptors in mouse brains is much smaller than the concentration that stimulates locomotion in the mouse.


The passage suggests that Snyder et al believe that if the older theory concerning caffeine’s effects were correct, which of the following would have to be the case?
I. All neurotransmitters would increase the short-term concentration of cyclic AMP in target neurons.
II. Substances other than caffeine that inhibit the production of phosphodiesterase would be stimulants.
III. All concentration levels of caffeine that are high enough to produce stimulation would also inhibit the production of phosphodiesterase.
(A) I only
(B) I and II only
(C) I and III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III


Thank you for your time and help.
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AndrewN
Hello, adkikani. If you need to answer a question about binding, then you should look for the keyword bind in the passage, particularly because the frame of the question, as an EXCEPT, lets you know that you are looking for a detail. How about we approach the task, answer by answer?

surat
4. According to Snyder et al., all of the following compounds can bind to specific receptors in the brain EXCEPT

surat
(A) IBMX
Analysis: The last paragraph states that IBMX bound very well in the context of adenosine receptor binding and stimulation. You might be able to kill two birds with one stone here and cross off (C) as well, but if you were being extra careful, at least you could get rid of this answer choice.

surat
(B) caffeine
Analysis: Paragraph two states that Snyder et al. propose that caffeine, which is structurally similar to adenosine, is able to bind to both types of receptors. Yes, this is a proposal rather than a statement of fact, but look at the question again: According to Snyder et al. This answer cannot be argued against.

surat
(C) adenosine
Analysis: If the two previous analyses did not convince you that adenosine can bind to receptors in the brain, then I am not sure how many instances you need from the passage to convey the point. The first such instance is from the beginning of paragraph two: adenosine must first bind to specific receptors on neuronal membranes. Three strikes and you're out.

surat
(D) theophylline
Analysis: The highlighted portion of paragraph four draws attention to theophylline, which was one of the most effective compounds in both regards. Which regards, exactly? One of them is spelled out with an id est: the higher their capacity to bind at the receptors. Thus, theophylline is not our answer.

surat
(E) phosphodiesterase
Analysis: The process of elimination points to this odd one out, without even a check. However, in the interest of providing a full analysis, what does the passage say about phosphodiesterase? The appositive phrase attached to the word in paragraph three tells us: an enzyme that breaks down the chemical called cyclic AMP. The rest of the paragraph talks about this enzyme, but nowhere will you find the keyword bind.

I have said it before, and I will reiterate here: keep your approach simple. The more you delve into the semantics or possibilities of each answer choice, the harder the test is going to be for you. Stick to the surface.

- Andrew

Please rectify your answer.

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Can someone explain Q6? GMATNinja
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