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rak08
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agrasan
Hi KarishmaB MartyMurray GMATNinja

If we slightly tweak the option (B) in question-3 by inserting "an", would it be the correct answer then?

3. The first paragraph primarily performs which of the following functions in the passage?
B. It explains how "an" environmental damage can cause effects that last for generations.

My reasoning is "an environmental damage" would refer to the condition given in the passage that reduces oxygen levels. I think original (B) generalises "environmental damage", hence, incorrect.

Please let me know.

I think it still would not be correct.

Even with “an environmental damage,” option B would still be wrong because the first paragraph does not explain effects that last for generations. It focuses on immediate consequences of hypoxia: escape to unsafe habitats, increased predation risk, and reduced fertility. Long-term or generational effects are introduced only in the second paragraph, when gene function, sex ratios, and population survival are discussed.

So the problem with B is not just over-generalization. It is that the time scale described in the option does not match what the first paragraph actually does.
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rak08
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fair but how to bifurcate answers then in terms of what will be considered a "stretch" like an answer with latent assumptions vs like this answer choice where we understood the intent.
guddo

The passage does say "increased likelihood," not certain extinction. But the author's primary objective is to explain how hypoxia creates that specific risk. Every example infertility, sex changes, poor egg quality is presented as evidence pointing toward species extinction.

Option A is true but general. The passage is narrowly focused on building the case for extinction risk. That is why B more accurately reflects the author's main goal.
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rak08
fair but how to bifurcate answers then in terms of what will be considered a "stretch" like an answer with latent assumptions vs like this answer choice where we understood the intent.

Not a stretch if the answer summarizes the author’s stated risk or goal. A stretch if the answer adds a new consequence the author did not frame as the point. Here, extinction risk is explicitly framed as the point, so B is fine.
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