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655-705 Level|   EXCEPT|   Resolve Paradox|               
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avigutman
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C. In coffee plants, the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans, but later stages depend on another substance that is synthesized only in the leaves and does not depend on the blocked substance.[/color]
-> Okay, the initial stages of caffeine production takes place only in the beans.
-> We know that the synthesis of the substance essential for the initial stage of production is blocked in the leaves, but we do not know whether the substance could still be produced in the beans.
Actually, we can infer that the substance can be produced in the beans.

avigutman
GraceSCKao
E. Caffeine was produced in the beans of the modified coffee plants, but all of it moved to the leaves, which normally produce their own caffeine.
->The production takes place in the beans. It is still unclear to us whether the substance could be produced in the beans.
Actually, we can infer that the substance was produced in the beans. Because if it couldn't be produced in the beans, the modified plants' wouldn't have been able to produce any caffeine.
It's worth noting that the most important words in (C) are "does not depend on", and the most important words in (E) are "all of it."

Hi avigutman

Thank you so much for your response and explanation!
Now I am more clear about the difference between "the basis for an explanation" and "the explanation," thank you.

Sorry that I still have few follow-up questions about the caffeine production and substance synthesis( I poured myself the second cup of coffee to write this reply)--would appreciate if you could share some thoughts when you have time. :)

First, I hope to compare the option (C) and (E):
Quote:
C. In coffee plants, the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans, but later stages depend on another substance that is synthesized only in the leaves and does not depend on the blocked substance.
E. Caffeine was produced in the beans of the modified coffee plants, but all of it moved to the leaves, which normally produce their own caffeine.

I can understand that because the option (E) specifically introduces the production situation in the modified coffee plants, we could use the fact "caffeine was produced in the beans" to infer that "the substance could be synthesized not only in the leaves," since if the substance is only synthesized in the leaves and not anywhere else, the caffeine would not be produced in the beans because of the blocked synthesis in the leaves. Thank you for explaining this part.

But I have some difficulty understanding your analysis on the option (C). Unlike the option (E), the option (C) seems to introduce a general production situation of coffee plants, not the specific situation of modified coffee plants. When I read the information "the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans," my understanding is just "okay, in coffee plants, the early stage of production occurs in the beans, so the substance that is essential for that stage should be in the beans. But, the substance might come from anywhere else and we do not know where it comes from." The substance could be synthesized in the leaves and move to the beans, or the substance is synthesized in the beans and stays there all the time. I do not think I could draw a further inference about the sources of the substance with the option (C).

On the other hand, if the option (C) talked about the specific production situation in the modified coffee plants, I would be able to understand why we can infer that the substance could be synthesized in the beans. (Since the synthesis of the substance has been stopped in the leaves but the initial production still takes place in the beans, the substance must be able to be produced elsewhere.) With this inference, we can be more sure that the coffee beans should contain caffeine and thus the option could not serve as a basis for the explanation of the observed results. But, the phrasing of the option (C) seems to suggest that the option talks about a general case.

I feel that except for the option (E), all other four options talk about the general case of the caffeine production in coffee plants. I never thought that the test designers could add variations to the options this way, but apparently they can. The general tongue might be one of the reasons I am more skeptical about some of the options. The options tell me a general case, and I need to see if there could be a reasonable connection between the general case and the specific case, but there is so much uncertainty. I personally think finding the basis is harder than finding the explanation itself.

Meanwhile, for the option (B):
avigutman
GraceSCKao
B. In coffee plants, the last stage of caffeine production takes place in the beans using a compound that is produced only in the leaves by the substance.[/color]
->The last stage of caffeine production needs a compound that is produced only in the leaves and that is produced by the substance.
->But we only know that the synthesis of the substance is blocked only in the leaves in this case. We do not know whether the substance can still be produced in the beans, nor do we know whether the substance that is produced in the beans can move to the leave to help develop the compound. If the answers to the two questions are "yes," then the option (B) cannot really explain the results.
Actually we do know that the substance cannot be produced in the beans, thanks to "only in the leaves."

"a compound that is produced only in the leaves by the substance."

May I ask how we interpret this modifier? To me this modifier seems to mean that the compound is produced only in the leaves and the compound is produced by the substance in the leaves," but it does not necessarily mean that the substance is also produced/synthesized only in the leaves. Have I mistaken it?

Sorry avigutman that my response is a bit long, once again.
Thank you for helping me learn these concepts and make improvements.
Appreciate your time and response. :)
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GraceSCKao
Option (C) seems to introduce a general production situation of coffee plants, not the specific situation of modified coffee plants. When I read the information "the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans," my understanding is just "okay, in coffee plants, the early stage of production occurs in the beans, so the substance that is essential for that stage should be in the beans. But, the substance might come from anywhere else and we do not know where it comes from." The substance could be synthesized in the leaves and move to the beans, or the substance is synthesized in the beans and stays there all the time. I do not think I could draw a further inference about the sources of the substance with the option (C).
I'm going to disagree here, GraceSCKao, for the following reason:
If indeed the substance that is essential for that stage was synthesized in the leaves and then moved to the beans, then I believe it would be false to claim that "the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans." Don't forget, we know from the passage that: "the synthesis of a substance known to be integral to the initial stages of caffeine production" so I would argue that this synthesis is indeed a stage within "the initial stages of caffeine production." Definition of "integral": necessary to make a whole complete; essential or fundamental.
In fact, when I first attempted this problem I chose (C) without reading it all the way to the end (and without reading (D) and (E). I only had to read this part of (C):
In coffee plants, the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans, but later stages...
Just from that, I could tell that this answer choices isn't going to be able to explain (or even provide the basis for an explanation) of the observed results.

GraceSCKao
I feel that except for the option (E), all other four options talk about the general case of the caffeine production in coffee plants. I never thought that the test designers could add variations to the options this way, but apparently they can. The general tongue might be one of the reasons I am more skeptical about some of the options. The options tell me a general case, and I need to see if there could be a reasonable connection between the general case and the specific case, but there is so much uncertainty. I personally think finding the basis is harder than finding the explanation itself.
I agree. However, anything true of the general case is also going to be true of the specific case, so perhaps information about the general case is even more useful than information about a specific case.

GraceSCKao
In option B: "a compound that is produced only in the leaves by the substance."

May I ask how we interpret this modifier? To me this modifier seems to mean that the compound is produced only in the leaves and the compound is produced by the substance in the leaves," but it does not necessarily mean that the substance is also produced/synthesized only in the leaves. Have I mistaken it?
I see your point now. Yes, answer choice (B) leaves open the possibility that the substance is synthesized in the beans and then moves to the leaves to allow them to produce the compound which then goes back to the beans for the last stage of caffeine production. In this scenario, (B) doesn't explain the observed results.
But our job isn't to poke holes in the answer choices and wonder whether there could be a scenario in which they fail to explain the observed results. Our job is to pick out the one answer choice that completely fails to provide the basis for an explanation of the observed results, under any circumstances or imagined scenarios.
So, I think you did more work than is necessary here - in this problem we needn't (shouldn't) use our imagination and ask "what if?". We must instead extend a level of generosity to the answer choices as we eliminate them, and choose the one that wouldn't explain the observed results no matter how generous we are toward it.
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avigutman
I'm going to disagree here, GraceSCKao, for the following reason:
If indeed the substance that is essential for that stage was synthesized in the leaves and then moved to the beans, then I believe it would be false to claim that "the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans." Don't forget, we know from the passage that: "the synthesis of a substance known to be integral to the initial stages of caffeine production" so I would argue that this synthesis is indeed a stage within "the initial stages of caffeine production." Definition of "integral": necessary to make a whole complete; essential or fundamental.
In fact, when I first attempted this problem I chose (C) without reading it all the way to the end (and without reading (D) and (E). I only had to read this part of (C):
In coffee plants, the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans, but later stages...
Just from that, I could tell that this answer choices isn't going to be able to explain (or even provide the basis for an explanation) of the observed results.


Thank you avigutman so much for your detailed explanations!
I finally see it now. I misunderstood that the word "integral" just means "important" or "essential," but in fact the word "integral" means more than that--it means "necessary as a part of a whole." So now I can understand why we can use the phrasing "the initial stages...take place only in the beans" in the option (C) to infer that the substance is produced/synthesized only in the beans.

Since the substance is synthesized only in the beans, the synthesis would not be affected by the blocking in the leaves. Hence, the production would go smoothly and thus the beans would contain caffeine. The option (C) would not be able to serve as the basis for an explanation of the observed results anyway. This is contrary to my initial analysis and I really appreciate that you help me make improvements. :)

avigutman
But our job isn't to poke holes in the answer choices and wonder whether there could be a scenario in which they fail to explain the observed results. Our job is to pick out the one answer choice that completely fails to provide the basis for an explanation of the observed results, under any circumstances or imagined scenarios.
So, I think you did more work than is necessary here - in this problem we needn't (shouldn't) use our imagination and ask "what if?". We must instead extend a level of generosity to the answer choices as we eliminate them, and choose the one that wouldn't explain the observed results no matter how generous we are toward it.

Thank you for elaborating on this point.
I know that when we are to weaken an argument, we do not necessarily need to disprove the argument, and when we are to strengthen the argument, we do not need to prove the argument. Some uncertainty can be allowed.
This type of task (finding the basis for an explanation) is new to me--really thank you for your clear explanations. :)
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In an attempt to produce a coffee plant that would yield beans containing no caffeine, the synthesis of a substance known to be integral to the initial stages of caffeine production was blocked either in the beans, in the leaves, or both. For those plants in which synthesis of the substance was blocked only in the leaves, the resulting beans contained no caffeine.

Any of the following, if true, would provide the basis for an explanation of the observed results EXCEPT:


A. In coffee plants, the substance is synthesized only in the leaves and then moves to the beans, where the initial stages of caffeine production take place.

B. In coffee plants, the last stage of caffeine production takes place in the beans using a compound that is produced only in the leaves by the substance.

C. In coffee plants, the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans, but later stages depend on another substance that is synthesized only in the leaves and does not depend on the blocked substance.

D. In coffee plants, caffeine production takes place only in the leaves, but the caffeine then moves to the beans.

E. Caffeine was produced in the beans of the modified coffee plants, but all of it moved to the leaves, which normally produce their own caffeine.

CR00860.02

Since the question is asking us to exclude we'll search for questions that explain the observed results, then eliminate that option. Any option that explains why "blocked only in the leaves" means "beans contained no caffeine" will be removed.

A, and B mention that the substance is made in the leaves then moves to the beans. We can eliminate these choices.

D mentions caffeine is made in the leaves then moves to the beans. Gone!

E differs from A, B, and D but this option still explains why the beans have no caffeine, everything moved to the leaves.

C is the only one that doesn't explain why there's no caffeine in the beans "synthesized only in the leaves and does not depend on the blocked substance" meaning caffeine would still be created and sent to the beans.
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Hope this helps.
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Good question, I thought this as 3 possible cases: leaves/beans/both. And assumed that even blocking the substance in both, didn't stop caffeine production. And that's where I went wrong and wasted more time on this question only to get a wrong answer. :/
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­To determine which option does not provide an explanation for why blocking the synthesis of a substance only in the leaves results in beans with no caffeine, we need to analyze each option carefully:

A. In coffee plants, the substance is synthesized only in the leaves and then moves to the beans, where the initial stages of caffeine production take place.
  • This explains that the initial stages of caffeine production in beans depend on a substance produced in the leaves. Blocking the synthesis in leaves would therefore stop caffeine production in beans. This supports the observed results.
B. In coffee plants, the last stage of caffeine production takes place in the beans using a compound that is produced only in the leaves by the substance.
  • This implies that the compound necessary for the last stage of caffeine production in the beans is produced in the leaves. Blocking the synthesis in leaves would prevent the beans from completing caffeine production. This supports the observed results.
C. In coffee plants, the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans, but later stages depend on another substance that is synthesized only in the leaves and does not depend on the blocked substance.
  • This suggests that later stages of caffeine production in beans rely on a different substance produced in the leaves. The blocked substance is irrelevant to caffeine production in this scenario. This would mean blocking the substance in the leaves should not stop caffeine production in beans, contradicting the observed results. This does not support the observed results.
D. In coffee plants, caffeine production takes place only in the leaves, but the caffeine then moves to the beans.
  • This means that if caffeine is produced only in the leaves and blocking the synthesis in the leaves stops this production, no caffeine would move to the beans. This supports the observed results.
E. Caffeine was produced in the beans of the modified coffee plants, but all of it moved to the leaves, which normally produce their own caffeine.
  • This suggests caffeine is produced in the beans but then moves to the leaves. Blocking the substance in the leaves should not affect caffeine production in the beans. This supports the observed results, as the beans would end up with no caffeine due to movement to the leaves.
Given these analyses, Option C does not provide an explanation for the observed results because it suggests that blocking the synthesis in the leaves should not affect the caffeine production in the beans.

Thus, the answer is C
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parkhydel
In an attempt to produce a coffee plant that would yield beans containing no caffeine, the synthesis of a substance known to be integral to the initial stages of caffeine production was blocked either in the beans, in the leaves, or both. For those plants in which synthesis of the substance was blocked only in the leaves, the resulting beans contained no caffeine.

Any of the following, if true, would provide the basis for an explanation of the observed results EXCEPT:


A. In coffee plants, the substance is synthesized only in the leaves and then moves to the beans, where the initial stages of caffeine production take place.

B. In coffee plants, the last stage of caffeine production takes place in the beans using a compound that is produced only in the leaves by the substance.

C. In coffee plants, the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans, but later stages depend on another substance that is synthesized only in the leaves and does not depend on the blocked substance.

D. In coffee plants, caffeine production takes place only in the leaves, but the caffeine then moves to the beans.

E. Caffeine was produced in the beans of the modified coffee plants, but all of it moved to the leaves, which normally produce their own caffeine.

CR00860.02
Target: Produce coffee plant that gives beans containing no caffeine.

Attempt: A substance critical for caffeine production is blocked in beans/leaves/both.

Observation: For those plants in which synthesis of the substance was blocked only in the leaves, the resulting beans contained no caffeine.

Note that we do not know what happened when the substance was blocked in beans/both. We only know that when the substance was blocked in leaves, the beans had no caffeine.

Now we have to explain why this could have happened.

A. In coffee plants, the substance is synthesized only in the leaves and then moves to the beans, where the initial stages of caffeine production take place.

If the substance is produced in the leaves only, when we blocked its production in leaves, it did not get produced and hence caffeine did not get produced in the beans. Explains

B. In coffee plants, the last stage of caffeine production takes place in the beans using a compound that is produced only in the leaves by the substance.

If a critical compound is produced by this substance only in the leaves, then when we block the substance in the leaves, it does not produce the critical compound so caffeine is not produced.

C. In coffee plants, the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans, but later stages depend on another substance that is synthesized only in the leaves and does not depend on the blocked substance.

This tells us that caffeine synthesis does not depend on the blocked substance. This does not explain then that why blocking the substance led to no caffeine production.

D. In coffee plants, caffeine production takes place only in the leaves, but the caffeine then moves to the beans.

Since we blocked the substance in the leaves, caffeine did not get produced in the leaves and hence did not move to beans. Explains.

E. Caffeine was produced in the beans of the modified coffee plants, but all of it moved to the leaves, which normally produce their own caffeine.

Since leaves did not have caffeine, the caffeine produced in the beans moved to the leaves and hence the beans had no caffeine. Explains.

Answer (C)­
­Hi KarishmaB

While you say this "we do not know what happened when the substance was blocked in beans/both. We only know that when the substance was blocked in leaves, the beans had no caffeine"

The argument clearly says that " For those plants in which synthesis of the substance was blocked only in the leaves, the resulting beans contained no caffeine" 

Doesn't the above finding also mean that, plants in which synthesis of the substance was blocked in beans/both contained caffaine, had the word only not been there, then your mentioned statement would look correct.

Please guide on this!
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In an attempt to produce a coffee plant that would yield beans containing no caffeine, the synthesis of a substance known to be integral to the initial stages of caffeine production was blocked either in the beans, in the leaves, or both. For those plants in which synthesis of the substance was blocked only in the leaves, the resulting beans contained no caffeine.

Any of the following, if true, would provide the basis for an explanation of the observed results EXCEPT:


A. In coffee plants, the substance is synthesized only in the leaves and then moves to the beans, where the initial stages of caffeine production take place.

B. In coffee plants, the last stage of caffeine production takes place in the beans using a compound that is produced only in the leaves by the substance.

C. In coffee plants, the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans, but later stages depend on another substance that is synthesized only in the leaves and does not depend on the blocked substance.

D. In coffee plants, caffeine production takes place only in the leaves, but the caffeine then moves to the beans.

E. Caffeine was produced in the beans of the modified coffee plants, but all of it moved to the leaves, which normally produce their own caffeine.

CR00860.02
Target: Produce coffee plant that gives beans containing no caffeine.

Attempt: A substance critical for caffeine production is blocked in beans/leaves/both.

Observation: For those plants in which synthesis of the substance was blocked only in the leaves, the resulting beans contained no caffeine.

Note that we do not know what happened when the substance was blocked in beans/both. We only know that when the substance was blocked in leaves, the beans had no caffeine.

Now we have to explain why this could have happened.

A. In coffee plants, the substance is synthesized only in the leaves and then moves to the beans, where the initial stages of caffeine production take place.

If the substance is produced in the leaves only, when we blocked its production in leaves, it did not get produced and hence caffeine did not get produced in the beans. Explains

B. In coffee plants, the last stage of caffeine production takes place in the beans using a compound that is produced only in the leaves by the substance.

If a critical compound is produced by this substance only in the leaves, then when we block the substance in the leaves, it does not produce the critical compound so caffeine is not produced.

C. In coffee plants, the initial stages of caffeine production take place only in the beans, but later stages depend on another substance that is synthesized only in the leaves and does not depend on the blocked substance.

This tells us that caffeine synthesis does not depend on the blocked substance. This does not explain then that why blocking the substance led to no caffeine production.

D. In coffee plants, caffeine production takes place only in the leaves, but the caffeine then moves to the beans.

Since we blocked the substance in the leaves, caffeine did not get produced in the leaves and hence did not move to beans. Explains.

E. Caffeine was produced in the beans of the modified coffee plants, but all of it moved to the leaves, which normally produce their own caffeine.

Since leaves did not have caffeine, the caffeine produced in the beans moved to the leaves and hence the beans had no caffeine. Explains.

Answer (C)­
­Hi KarishmaB

While you say this "we do not know what happened when the substance was blocked in beans/both. We only know that when the substance was blocked in leaves, the beans had no caffeine"

The argument clearly says that " For those plants in which synthesis of the substance was blocked only in the leaves, the resulting beans contained no caffeine" 

Doesn't the above finding also mean that, plants in which synthesis of the substance was blocked in beans/both contained caffaine, had the word only not been there, then your mentioned statement would look correct.

Please guide on this!
­
In the experiment, the substance was blocked only in the leaves (say for group 1 plants), was blocked only in the beans (say group 2 plants) and was blocked in both (say group 3 plants).

We know what happened in group 1 - no coffee in the bean. This needs explanation, right? How come blocking it in just leaves led to no caffeine in the beans? 

We don't know what happened in the group 2 and 3 plants. 
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­(A) This option aligns with the observed results. Blocking the substance in the leaves (where it's initially synthesized) prevents it from reaching the beans, thus stopping caffeine production there.

(B) This also aligns with the results. If the final stage relies on a leaf-produced compound, blocking the initial step in the leaves would halt caffeine production.

(C) This option contradicts the results. It suggests caffeine starts in the beans, then relies on a separate leaf-produced substance (not the blocked one) for later stages. Blocking the initial step in the leaves wouldn't necessarily stop caffeine production if it could still begin in the beans.

(D) Similar to (A), this aligns with the observed results. Blocking production in the leaves (the only source) would prevent caffeine from reaching the beans.

(E) This contradicts the results. The scenario states the modified plants have NO caffeine in the beans. This option suggests some caffeine is produced but migrates elsewhere.

 ­
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­Hmm. I wasted some time thinking only synthesis of the substance was blocked and substance can move from other part of plant to leaves.

May be I should have been faster to catch on earlier that would have rendered the whole experiment obsolete.
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