No one knows what purposes, if any, dreams serve, although there are

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No one knows what purposes, if any, dreams serve, although there are a number of hypotheses. According to one hypothesis, dreams are produced when the brain is erasing “parasitic connections” (meaningless, accidental associations between ideas), which accumulate during the day and which would otherwise clog up our memories. Interestingly, the only mammal that does not have rapid eye movement sleep, in which we humans typically have our most vivid dreams, is the spiny anteater, which has been seen as anomalous in that it has a very large brain relative to the animal’s size. This fact provides some confirmation for the parasitic-connection hypothesis, since the hypothesis predicts that for an animal that did not dream to have an effective memory that animal would need extra memory space for the parasitic connections.

The parasitic-connection hypothesis, if true, most strongly supports which one of the following?

(A) The animals with the smallest brains spend the most time sleeping.

(B) Immediately after a person awakens from normal sleep, her or his memory contains virtually no accidental associations between ideas.

(C) When a mammal that would normally dream is prevented from dreaming, the functioning of its memory will be impaired.

(D) Insofar as a person’s description of a dream involves meaningful associations between ideas, it is an inaccurate description.

(E) All animals other than the spiny anteater dream.

exc4libur · Answer

ARGUMENT
  hypothesis that dreams are produced when the memory is erasing parasitic connections
  parasitic connections accumulate and clog up our memory;
  REM sleep is when we humans have our most vivid dreams;
  the anteater is the only mammal that doesn't have REM, but has a large brain relative to its size
  this suggests that for an animal that did not dream to have an effective memory that animal would need extra memory space for the parasitic connections.

INFER
(A) cannot be inferred;
(B) cannot be inferred;
(D) cannot be inferred;
(E) trap: "anteater don't have REM sleep", this doesn't mean they don't DREAM.

Ans (C)  indeed, the hypothesis suggests that when an animal does not dream he isn't erasing parasitic connections, thus his memory isn't as effective as it would be if it dreamed!

unraveled · Answer

No one knows what purposes, if any, dreams serve, although there are a number of hypotheses. According to one hypothesis, dreams are produced when the brain is erasing “parasitic connections” (meaningless, accidental associations between ideas), which accumulate during the day and which would otherwise clog up our memories. Interestingly, the only mammal that does not have rapid eye movement sleep, in which we humans typically have our most vivid dreams, is the spiny anteater, which has been seen as anomalous in that it has a very large brain relative to the animal’s size. This fact provides some confirmation for the parasitic-connection hypothesis, since the hypothesis predicts that for an animal that did not dream to have an effective memory that animal would need extra memory space for the parasitic connections.

The parasitic-connection hypothesis, if true, most strongly supports which one of the following?

(A) The animals with the smallest brains spend the most time sleeping.

(B) Immediately after a person awakens from normal sleep, her or his memory contains virtually no accidental associations between ideas.

(C) When a mammal that would normally dream is prevented from dreaming, the functioning of its memory will be impaired.

(D) Insofar as a person’s description of a dream involves meaningful associations between ideas, it is an inaccurate description.

(E) All animals other than the spiny anteater dream.

Humans have rapid eye movement when they dream and during these dreams the brain, as per the hypothesis, erases the parasitic connections. There's only mammal, the anteater, that don't have raid eye movement sleep and it has a very large brain size relative to its size.
Therefore, the anteater since it doesn't sleep would have a large brain size / memory space for it to have parasitic connections.

Nothing about animals with smallest brain is mentioned so option A is not supported.
Option B is irrelevant as nothing is discussed about what happens after someone wakes up after a normal sleep. Also what is normal sleep.
Impairment is not what hypothesis is talking about. C is wrong.
Option E is wrong for saying all animals dream. Nowhere in argument such a claim is made or suggested.
So, description based on 'meaningless - accidental associations between ideas' would be inaccurate. This makes sense.

IMO Answer D.

Deadpool3 · Answer

Must Be True. The correct answer choice is (C)

(A)The animals with the smallest brains spend the most time sleeping.--> Most sleeping is not needed, only REM/Dream is needed.

(B) Immediately after a person awakens from normal sleep, her or his memory contains virtually no accidental associations between ideas. --> Not given in stem

(C) When a mammal that would normally dream is prevented from dreaming, the functioning of its memory will be impaired. --> Could be inferred as memory would get clogged

(D) Insofar as a person’s description of a dream involves meaningful associations between ideas, it is an inaccurate description. --> Could not be inferred
 
(E) All animals other than the spiny anteater dream. --> Only about mammals have been talked .

Tanmaysaxena97 · Answer

it should be D. 
C is a little extreme
E is broadening.
A maybe.
B we can't say that, maybe the connections are more than the connections that can be removed in a normal sleep

800GMAT2019 · Answer

A: Going with A Bunuel!!! as it ties the "extra space" and "parasitic memories theory" together

B Focuses more on "time immediately after waking up" vs "parasitic ideas"
C Could be many causes for this. Link is not strong. ---"I was late to school" does not prove that "my car broke down"
D "Person's description of dream" vs "meaningful associations"
E Loose connection

Good luck!

madgmat2019 · Answer

(A)The animals with the smallest brains spend the most time sleeping.
It is not mentioned in text. Out of scope.......... INCORRECT.

(B)Immediately after a person awakens from normal sleep, her or his memory contains virtually no accidental associations between ideas.
We can not infer from given above that dream erases all "parasitic connections". That's why we cannot surely say "her or his memory contains virtually no accidental associations between ideas.".......INCORRECT

(C)When a mammal that would normally dream is prevented from dreaming, the functioning of its memory will be impaired.
From the text "dreams are produced when the brain is erasing "parasitic connections", which accumulate during the day and which would otherwise clog up our memories" we can infer that if dream doesn't do its job memory may be cloged up...... CORRECT

(D)Insofar as a person's description of a dream involves meaningful associations between ideas, it is an inaccurate description................INCORRECT

(E)All animals other than the spiny anteater dream.
Its given that only mammal (not animal) who can do this. But may be other animals also don't dream..... INCORRECT.

OA:C

SafSin28 · Answer

QS: Must be true (mostly inferred)

Argument: 
1. No one knows the purposes of dreams to serve, although there are a number of hypotheses. 
2. 1 hypothesis: Parasitic connections acummulated during the day and clog up our memories. So, Brain erases such connections when we dream.
3. An anteater doesn't have rapid eye movement, but has a very large brian.
 4. Conclusion for the parasitic-connection hypothesis, since if no dreams, then additional memory)

(A) The animals with the smallest brains spend the most time sleeping.---> Nothing is given about the SMALLEST brains. --->OUT

(B) Immediately after a person awakens from normal sleep, her or his memory contains virtually no accidental associations between ideas.---->We know brain erases accidental associations. Do we know it clears all the stuff up?!-->NO

(C) When a mammal that would normally dream is prevented from dreaming, the functioning of its memory will be impaired.--->Why? Because of parasitic connections? It is strange. Keep now.

(D) Insofar as a person’s description of a dream involves meaningful associations between ideas, it is an inaccurate description.---->description of a dream invlolving MEANINGFUL ASSOCIATION is inaccurate? But we're not told it. OUT

(E) All animals other than the spiny anteater dream.----> Do we have any proof of this from the argument? No

C0--. If NO dream, then No healthy brian? So either it has to be separated from the parasitic connection hypothesis, or it has to give additional thing for the brian to prevent the damage. So, it is the answer

ammar8 · Answer

Bunuel , could you please share the OE? Not sure how the answer is C, because the passage says that “parasitic connections” (meaningless, accidental associations between ideas), which accumulate during the day and which would otherwise clog up our memories. However, it could be that these parasitic connections do not occur at all and hence dreams are not needed by mammals to clear up the memory

miag · Answer

Hi,

The question is "if the parasitic-connection hypothesis is true" - so we must accept its premises, including that parasitic connections do accumulate during the day and would clog memory if not erased. We can't weaken it by saying  maybe they don’t occur. .. that would be rejecting the hypothesis, not drawing a consequence from it.

Pratyaksh1907 · Answer

Hey! wouldn't the STRENGTHEN tag in this Question will refrain it from popping up in inference filter? because I believe the question stem is clearly asking for inference. Please make the necessary changes if I am right.
Thank you

miag · Answer

Hi, You are right, I have made the necessary changes - thanks for letting us know!

No one knows what purposes, if any, dreams serve, although there are

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