Last visit was: 13 Jul 2025, 23:26 It is currently 13 Jul 2025, 23:26
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Sub 505 Level|   Inference|                                 
avatar
adkor95
Joined: 06 Mar 2020
Last visit: 10 Dec 2020
Posts: 33
Own Kudos:
14
 [1]
Given Kudos: 80
Posts: 33
Kudos: 14
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
mSKR
Joined: 14 Aug 2019
Last visit: 10 Mar 2024
Posts: 1,309
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 381
Location: Hong Kong
Concentration: Strategy, Marketing
GMAT 1: 650 Q49 V29
GPA: 3.81
GMAT 1: 650 Q49 V29
Posts: 1,309
Kudos: 929
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
SH93
Joined: 14 Apr 2021
Last visit: 17 Jan 2023
Posts: 10
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 19
Location: India
Schools: ISB '23 (D)
GMAT 1: 690 Q49 V34
GPA: 3.8
Schools: ISB '23 (D)
GMAT 1: 690 Q49 V34
Posts: 10
Kudos: 2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
mSKR
Joined: 14 Aug 2019
Last visit: 10 Mar 2024
Posts: 1,309
Own Kudos:
929
 [1]
Given Kudos: 381
Location: Hong Kong
Concentration: Strategy, Marketing
GMAT 1: 650 Q49 V29
GPA: 3.81
GMAT 1: 650 Q49 V29
Posts: 1,309
Kudos: 929
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
SH93
I get it that options A, B, C & D are eliminated as they are not 100% accurate based on the facts given in the passage. However, with Option-E, I have this thought: The passage does not mention the number of times animals can make an appropriate judgement if they draw on past experiences. So how can we say that "animals can often react more appropriately......." (as per option-E)?

Going by the neuroscientist's statement, can we say that all animals would make an appropriate judgement if they draw on past experience on every situation they encounter?


you are taking too far. You are concluding beyond what could be said for certainty based on information given in passage.

From argument, we can determine that animals can often react more appropriately than they otherwise would to situations they encounter if they draw on generalizations from past experiences of similar situations.
often : in general many times. No information is given about any frequency ( so this conclusion is beyond information given in argument)
Do animals make a judgement every time? We don't know .

Key point is we no need to take conclusion too far as no one can confirm it based on given information . Moroever, if for gmat purpose, stepping over scope would consume our valuable time and anyways, we would end up in dark zone.

I hope it helps:)
User avatar
Sneha2021
Joined: 20 Dec 2020
Last visit: 10 Jun 2025
Posts: 319
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 523
Location: India
Posts: 319
Kudos: 35
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi VeritasKarishma

Can you please help to understand the meaning of option E?
(E) Animals can often react more appropriately than they otherwise would to situations they encounter if they draw on generalizations from past experiences of similar situations.
1) Is my understanding correct?
If they draw on generalizations from past experiences of similar situations, Animals can often react more appropriately than
If they don't draw on generalizations, animals will react less appropriately
Is the comparison between "If" situation?

2) How to read an omitted verb in "otherwise would" case - Is omitted verb "react" or "draw"?
User avatar
KarishmaB
Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Last visit: 11 Jul 2025
Posts: 16,106
Own Kudos:
74,309
 [2]
Given Kudos: 475
Location: Pune, India
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 16,106
Kudos: 74,309
 [2]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Sneha2021
Hi VeritasKarishma

Can you please help to understand the meaning of option E?
(E) Animals can often react more appropriately than they otherwise would to situations they encounter if they draw on generalizations from past experiences of similar situations.
1) Is my understanding correct?
If they draw on generalizations from past experiences of similar situations, Animals can often react more appropriately than
If they don't draw on generalizations, animals will react less appropriately
Is the comparison between "If" situation?

2) How to read an omitted verb in "otherwise would" case - Is omitted verb "react" or "draw"?

Memory evolved to help animals react appropriately to situations they encounter by drawing on the past experience of similar situations.

This means that "memory" evolved so that animals could remember past experiences and use them to react appropriately to similar situations. For example, a brush with a hunter would make them cautious if they see people with guns next time.

But this does not require that animals perfectly recall every detail of all their experiences.
Instead, to function well, memory should generalize from past experiences that are similar to the current one.


Every detail of the experience is not required. To function well, memory should generalise from past experience.
Sneha2021 - But this does not mean that if the memory does remember every detail, it is unable to generalise from past experience. It may remember everything but still be able to draw generalisations.
This just means that every detail is not required; a generalisation is enough.

(E) Animals can often react more appropriately than they otherwise would to situations they encounter if they draw on generalizations from past experiences of similar situations.

Animals can often react more appropriately than they otherwise would (react) ...
The comparison is in the way they react.
Since we are given that memory evolved to help animals react in a better way, we can say that drawing on generalizations from past experiences helps them react in a better way than they way they would have reacted had they not drawn on generalisations from past experiences.
Hence, this is correct.
User avatar
CrackverbalGMAT
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 03 Oct 2013
Last visit: 13 Jul 2025
Posts: 4,847
Own Kudos:
8,638
 [2]
Given Kudos: 225
Affiliations: CrackVerbal
Location: India
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 4,847
Kudos: 8,638
 [2]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Neuroscientist: Memory evolved to help animals react appropriately to situations they encounter by drawing on the past experience of similar situations. But this does not require that animals perfectly recall every detail of all their experiences. Instead, to function well, memory should generalize from past experiences that are similar to the current one.

The neuroscientist's statements, if true, most strongly support which of the following conclusions?

Question type: Inference

Task at hand: Figure out what can definitely be inferred based on the information presented in the stimulus.

A. At least some animals perfectly recall every detail of at least some past experiences. This option is too extreme. We can’t make any inference about recalling every detail.

B. Perfectly recalling every detail of all their past experiences could help at least some animals react more appropriately than they otherwise would to new situations they encounter. This option is also very extreme. We can’t make any inference about recalling every detail of all the past experiences.

C. Generalizing from past experiences requires clear memories of most if not all the details of those
experiences. This option is also very extreme. We can’t make any inference about generalizing from past experiences requiring clear memories.

D. Recalling every detail of all past experiences would be incompatible with any ability to generalize from those experiences. Once again, we cannot infer this. This option is also very extreme on the negative side.

E. Animals can often react more appropriately than they otherwise would to situations they encounter if they draw on generalizations from past experiences of similar situations. This option is worded in such a way that it can be guaranteed from the fact in the prompt. Yes, animal can react more appropriately than they otherwise would if they draw on generalizations from past experiences of similar situations.

- Nitha Jay
User avatar
MoPouyan
Joined: 23 Mar 2021
Last visit: 07 Feb 2025
Posts: 17
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 198
Posts: 17
Kudos: 3
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Any conclusion that aligns with the idea that animals can react more effectively when relying on generalized memory rather than detailed recall would be supported by this reasoning.

Conclusions focusing on perfect recall as necessary or on the incompatibility of generalization with detailed recall might not align well with the neuroscientist's main point.
User avatar
A_Nishith
Joined: 29 Aug 2023
Last visit: 12 Jul 2025
Posts: 414
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 16
Posts: 414
Kudos: 189
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Question Type: Inference
Boil It Down (Simplified & Abbreviated Summary of the Prompt): Generalized memory helps animals better function in similar situations
Goal: Based on the prompt, find the option that has to be true with 100% certainty.

Analysis: This is a straightforward Inference question. Given the information in the prompt that animals have evolved to draw on past experience to function better in similar situations, AND that the memories need not be perfect, just general, we need to find an option that follows with 100% certainty. In Inference questions, GMAC will be guaranteed to deliver 2 types of incorrect options:

1) Those that are too extreme to be supported from the facts given
2) Options that seem reasonable, but are not supported from the facts given

(E) Animals can often react more appropriately than they otherwise would to situations they encounter if they draw on generalizations from past experiences of similar situations.

Per the passage, memory evolved to help animals remember past experiences so that they could draw generalizations from those and apply them to similar current situations. (The key word here is “appropriately”).
If the purpose of the memory evolving in a certain manner was to help animals react appropriately to situations they encounter by drawing on the past experience of similar situations, then generalizations will definitely help to serve that purpose. Had their memories not evolved in this manner, they would have been able to deal with situations less appropriately.
Correct Choice.

Answer: E
   1   2 
Moderators:
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7349 posts
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
235 posts