It has been discovered that a chemical compound present in a liquid

Question

It has been discovered that a chemical compound present in a liquid sprayed by pinkback ants as a defense mechanism contains antiseptic properties very useful in the treatment of minor flesh wounds. The volume of the chemical stored in a pinkback's glands is so small that it took scientists more than a year to acquire a sufficient amount for research purposes. Clearly, it will be very expensive, if not impossible, to use the chemical in commercial applications since such applications require much greater amounts than those used during research.

The answer to which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument?

The answer to which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument?

A. What kind of commercial applications could benefit from the presence of such a chemical?

B. Does the chemical have properties that would make it useful for the healing of ailments other than flesh wounds?

C. When the chemical is drawn from the glands of a pinkback ant, how long does it take for the ant to reproduce the missing amount?

D. What alternative sources of other chemicals used for the treatment of minor flesh wounds are there?

E. Can the compound be synthetically produced without it losing any of its characteristics?

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sood1596 · Answer

OA please. @buneul

Would really help.

Bunuel · Answer

The OA is E. The OE will be posted on February 3rd. Meanwhile, you are welcome to post your thoughts.

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

It has been discovered that a chemical compound present in a liquid sprayed by pinkback ants as a defense mechanism contains antiseptic properties very useful in the treatment of minor flesh wounds. The volume of the chemical stored in a pinkback's glands is so small that it took scientists more than a year to acquire a sufficient amount for research purposes. Clearly, it will be very expensive, if not impossible, to use the chemical in commercial applications since such applications require much greater amounts than those used during research.

The answer to which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument?

The answer to which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument?

A. What kind of commercial applications could benefit from the presence of such a chemical?

Incorrect.

To solve this Investigation question, first break down the argument. The first two sentences cite facts so they are premises. The last sentence begins with the conclusion word Clearly which shows us that it's the argument's conclusion, but it also contains an additional premise (after the reason conjunction since).

Premise A: a chemical present in pinkback ants can help heal flesh wounds
 +
Premise B: it took scientists a long time to get enough of the chemical for research since each ant only has a small amount
 +
Premise C: commercial applications require higher amounts of chemicals than research does
 =
Conclusion: it will not be possible to use the chemical in commercial applications

Vital factor: ?

You are required to find the factor which is most crucial to the author's conclusion. The correct answer is a question which could support or weaken the conclusion depending on its answer.

This answer choice is beside the point. The conclusion focuses on whether or not the chemical can be commercialized rather than whether or not it should be commercialized. Therefore, we do not need to know it's possible future uses.

B. Does the chemical have properties that would make it useful for the healing of ailments other than flesh wounds?

Incorrect.

This answer choice is beside the point. The conclusion focuses on whether or not the chemical can be commercialized rather than whether or not it should be commercialized. Therefore, we do not need to know it's possible future uses beyond treating flesh wounds.

C. When the chemical is drawn from the glands of a pinkback ant, how long does it take for the ant to reproduce the missing amount?

Incorrect.

This answer choice attempts to reveal how quickly the chemical can be produced from ants, but we already know the answer. The premises tell us that it took a long time to acquire even the small amount of chemical required for research. We can infer that acquiring commercial quantities will take even longer, significantly longer than what was required for research.

D. What alternative sources of other chemicals used for the treatment of minor flesh wounds are there?

Incorrect.

This question is out of the scope of the argument. The author focuses on a particular yet problematic discovery - a chemical produced by pinkback ants in amounts too small to commercialize. Therefore, references to other chemicals cannot have a direct effect on the conclusion.

E. Can the compound be synthetically produced without it losing any of its characteristics?

This question could lead to verifying the accuracy of the conclusion. If the chemical cannot be produced in ways other than taking it from the ants, then the author may be right - it will be difficult to commercialize. If the chemical can be copied, or synthesized, then producing large amounts of it would not be a problem.

It has been discovered that a chemical compound present in a liquid

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GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

It has been discovered that a chemical compound present in a liquid

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

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745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards