Living with humans for hundreds of generations has altered the

Question

Living with humans for hundreds of generations has altered the cognitive abilities of domesticated dogs, according to new research by Harvard University anthropologist Brian Hare. He reported these findings in Seattle last week at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The new work provides direct evidence that dogs' lengthy contact with humans has served as a selection factor, leading to distinct evolutionary changes. This is the first evidence, which demonstrates that humans play an ongoing role in the evolution of canine cognition.

Hare has shown previously that domesticated dogs are far more skillful at reading human communicative signals - such as glances or pointing - than either the relative of the humans, the chimpanzee, or the close relative of the dog, the wolf. Hare’s latest research involved New Guinea singing dogs, a subspecies that shows strong domestication at some time in the past but now exists as feral, reclusive individuals in the highlands of New Guinea. These dogs related to dingoes have gone without significant human contact for at least the past 6,000 years, and little is known about their behavior in the wild.

When New Guinea singing dogs watched a human place food under one of two cups and then gesture toward the cup hiding the food, few approached the cup concealing the food more than half the time, as would be expected by chance. By comparison, among domesticated dogs with an unbroken history of human contact, Hare found that all were able to interpret the same human gestures to locate the food. "Domesticated dogs are strikingly similar to young children in their ability to perceive and interpret human gestures, and they show this propensity from a few weeks of age," Hare says.

After first realizing several years ago that dogs possessed this unusual capacity to interpret human gestures, Hare developed several possible explanations. One hypothesis, that dogs had inherited this ability from wolves, was not supported by Hare's subsequent finding that wolves are not skilled at reading human signals. Another theory, which held that individual dogs learn to interpret human cues over the course of living with people, was compromised by the finding that puppies reared with and without human contact showed equal proficiency in these skills.    1 
1. Which of the following conclusions can best be drawn based on the lines "was compromised by.... these skills" in the last paragraph?

(A) Ongoing human contact during dog domestication has led to the development of the unusual ability to read human communicative signals in dogs.
(B) Dogs raised with significant human contact have been shown to develop better cognitive abilities as opposed to those raised with little human contact.
(C) Human contact has led to dogs inheriting human communicative skills.
(D) Domesticated dogs and human children both seem to have a striking ability to perceive and interpret human gestures and indications.
(E) Domesticated dogs and human children have been better able to interpret human gestures as opposed to singing dogs

2 
2. The author mentions the last line of the second paragraph to indicate which of the following?

A _Since these dogs are related to dingoes, they can be safely said to be wild dogs and not some other species.
B_It has been seen that at least 5,000 years of reclusiveness is needed in a species to rid it of human influence.
C_To show that since these dogs have been living in the wild, they can be used as suitable comparisons.
D_To show the domestication has penetrated even the wild
E_As these dogs have not been domesticated for some time, they cannot perceive human signals as well as properly domesticated dogs.

3 
3. Which of the following inferences can be drawn most properly from the first line of the passages?

A_Had the humans tried to domesticate wild dogs, the same changes wouldn't have taken place.
B_This change in cognizance can only take place among dogs, not other wild species close to man like wolves or chimpanzees.
C_Without human influence, the cognitive abilities of dogs wouldn't have undergone such changes.
D_Had dogs lived with humans for a slightly smaller amount of time; such changes wouldn't have been so apparent:
E_All humans and dogs have been living together for a long period of time.

Bunuel · Answer

Did this passage only have one question? Usually, there are 3-4 questions per passage. Also, what is the exact source of the question? Thank you!

cashubham · Answer

No it has two other question I have posted only one I which I have confusion

This is part of my coaching home work I am not aware of source but I have answer

Bunuel · Answer

Could you please add the remaining two questions? Also, can you give the exact source of the question? Thank you!

cashubham · Answer

I am confused in question 1 if it has been compromised that puppies have ability to act as human without direct human contact then option A is contradictory which says human contact is responsible for dogs ability to act as human

Bunuel · Answer

Please specify exact source of the question. Thank you!

cashubham · Answer

i am not aware of the exact source it is part of my class note

SatvikVedala · Answer

Hi

For Q1, I proceeded with elimination technique & ended up at option 1.

But still I have few doubts regarding Q1.
1) Question 1 says what can be  concluded  from .......
- The option 1 seems are more like inference from "was compromised by....  these  skills"
2) Even the option 1 says "Ongoing human contact during dog domestication has led to the development of the  unusual  ability to read human communicative signals in dogs."

PriyeshLakar · Answer

For 1 why is "C" not an option to consider? My thought that point C states that "Human contact has led to dogs  inheriting  human communicative skills." which means that dogs are now  inheriting  human communicative skills and for the same reason puppies reared with and without human contact showed equal proficiency in these skills

sapientequaerat · Answer

When we read “puppies raised without human contact still have the skill,”
 our brain thinks → “then human contact didn’t cause it!”
 But in GMAT inference logic, that means  it wasn’t caused by immediate learning ,
 not that  humans had nothing to do with it at all .
Instead, it supports the  evolutionary explanation  (humans → domestication → inherited trait).

Hence, option A is suitable

Living with humans for hundreds of generations has altered the

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Living with humans for hundreds of generations has altered the

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

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