Paleontologists' study of the physiognomy of the saber-toothed cat

Question

Paleontologists' study of the physiognomy of the saber-toothed cat illustrates how scientists extrapolate function from form.  Holophoneus , a cat that appeared in North America in the early Oligocene epoch in the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic era, about 38 million years ago, had large upper canines ("saber-teeth") and a downward extension, or  flange , formed by the front of the lower mandible. When the mouth was closed, the canines rested just outside the flange, which acted as a guard for these down-pointing teeth; the lower jaw could be opened extremely wide to free the canines for use. Unable to bite like a modern cat, the saber-toothed cat is thought to have used its canines to stab its victims.

The evolutionary line of the saber tooth culminated about 2.5 million years ago with the appearance of  Smilodon  and  Megantereon .  Smilodon , the larger, was at least as big as the modern African lion  (Felis leo)  and had upper canines that were sometimes as long as eight inches.  Because of its heavily-muscled neck and forequarters, the saber tooth was probably a slow animal that fed on large, slow-moving prey. If that was the case, the extinction of the mammals that constituted the saber tooth's prey probably led to its extinction about 10,000 years ago.    1 
 1. The passage Is primarily concerned with

A. correcting an error of paleontological classification
B. examining the evolution of one species of saber-toothed cat
C. theorizing about the decline of prehistoric mammals
D. discussing the evolutionary significance of certain features of the saber-toothed cat
E. analyzing the Oligocene period and its legacy

2 
 2. It can be inferred from the passage that the evolutionary adaptations of the saber tooth

A. took place around 38 million years ago
B. were dependent on the evolution of the saber tooth's prey
C. led to its extinction approximately 10,000 years ago
D. were insufficient to compensate for the disappearance of primary food sources
E. resulted in the emergence of the modern African lion

3 
 3. According to the passage, the flange referred to in line 8 ( Highlighted ) was used to

A. guard against attack by other large cats
B. protect the saber tooth's oversized canines
C. ensure that the cat would not be injured by its own oversized teeth
D. hinge the upper and lower jaws
E. stab the saber tooth's victims

4 
 4. All of the following are true of the  Smilodon  EXCEPT:

A.  Smilodon  appeared roughly 2.5 million years ago.
B.  Smilodon  could grow larger than the modern African lion.
C.  Smilodon  was smaller than  Megantereon. 
D.  Smilodon's  neck was heavily muscled.
E.  Smilodon's  canines could grow to a length of more than seven inches.

5 
 5. Which of the following, if true, would most undermine the argument posed by the author of the passage in lines 23-29 ( Text in Red )

A. Other mammals were known to have hunted  Holophoneus  throughout the Cenozoic era.
B. Archaeologists discovered a 12,000-year-old  Smilodon  skeleton that possessed five-inch canines.
C. A recent archaeological dig uncovered a 9,000- year-old  Megantereon  skeleton.
D. The mammals that formed the basis of  Smilodon's  diet exist to this day.
E. Other slow-moving mammal species have been discovered to have survived the last 10,000 years.

6 
 6. It can be inferred from the passage that modern cats

A. do not use their teeth to stab their victims
B. are direct descendants of  Holophoneus 
C. first appeared on the evolutionary scene about 2.5 million years ago
D. possess flanges much smaller than those of saber-toothed cats
E. bite differently than  Smilodon  did

7 
 7. Which of the following is an assumption underlying the author's description of  Similodon's  evolution?

A.  Megantereon  did not use its teeth to stab its victims.
B. Holophoneus was the first saber-toothed cat to have a dental flange.
C. Holophoneus was extinct by the time  Smilodon  appeared on the evolutionary scene.
D. The slow-moving prey of saber-toothed cats could only be killed by stabbing.
E. A heavily-muscled neck is characteristic of a slow-moving animal

RC Butler 2021  -  Practice Two RC Questions Everyday.   
Passage # 43 Date: 01-Feb-2021
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2021 .  Click here for Details

PR CAT #3

adityaganjoo · Answer

My answers:
1) B
2) A
3) B
4) C
5) D
6) A
7) E

PrachiMaloo · Answer

Can anyone explain questions 2,3 and 4?

ksramanv · Answer

1. The passage Is primarily concerned with
The main purpose of the passage is to talk about the physical traits of an animal and how it affected the animals evolution. So the answer is D

2. It can be inferred from the passage that the evolutionary adaptations of the saber tooth
Inference questions in general and here must be answered with the process of elimination. The answer is the most possible one and never the perfect answer. Lets review the choices:
a. The animal didnt evolve only until 38 million years ago.
b. Possible but paragraph doesnt talk about evolution of prey at all.
c. Nowehere does it state that evolution led to extinction.
d. Quite possible lets keep it as a possibility.
e. Quite out of scope.

So the answer is D.

3. According to the passage, the flange referred to in line 8 (Highlighted) was used to 
The answer is a straightforward one. The very next line says  "When the mouth was closed, the canines rested just outside the flange, which acted as a guard for these down-pointing teeth " here, the 'which' is in reference to flange which protects teeth. So the answer is B.

4. All of the following are true of the Smilodon EXCEPT:
B because the second paragraph explicity states that Smilodon is bigger  "Smilodon, the larger, was at least as big as the modern African lion "
 
5. Which of the following, if true, would most undermine the argument posed by the author of the passage in lines 23-29:
The line in red hypothesis that the extinction of prey led to extinction of predator. The most obvious proof that would derail this hypothesis is if the prey did not go extinct which is the answer D.

6. It can be inferred from the passage that modern cats:
a. Last line of first para explicitly states that modern cats use teeth to bite.
b. Nowhere stated 
c. Same as B
d. Paragraph does not talk about flanges for cats
e. Stated and contrasted by last line of first paragraph.
Answer is E.

7. Which of the following is an assumption underlying the author's description of Similodon's evolution?
Look at this line " Because of its heavily-muscled neck and forequarters, the saber tooth was probably a slow animal that fed on large, slow-moving prey ."
The author notes that saber tooth had heavily muscled neck and comes to the conclusion that it was probably a slow animal. The hidden assumption is that animals with heavily muscled neck are slow. So the answer is E.

hoangducan1 · Answer

Anyone can explain number 6, my answer is A.

LeopardLiu · Answer

The author did not mention anything about the using of its teeth of modern cat. 
"Unable to bite like modern cat" provides the sufficient information to choose E

JCGF2021 · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994  ! Would you be so kind to provide the difficulty level of all questions as well as the official explanations for questions 1,2,3, and 6? Thank you in advance for your help, your reply will be much appreciated!.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

The difficulty level of the questions of this passage should be the following:

Question #1: 650
Question #2: 700-750
Question #3: 700
Question #4: 550
Question #5: 650
Question #6: 700-750
Question #7: 700

Overall: 700

JCGF2021 · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994  could you please post the official explanation for question 6? Your reply will be much appreciated.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE is not available, let me try it on my own.

6. It can be inferred from the passage that modern cats

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

(A)  is opposite, it is stated in the passage that  "Unable to bite like a modern cat, the saber-toothed cat is thought to have used its canines to stab its victims."  It only means that the moderen cat can bite but not the same as the saber-toothed cat.

(B)  We cannot infer this information with the help of the passage, it could be true in the real world but we don't know just reading this passage.

(C)  Out of the scope of the passage, this option is the same as option  (B) .

(D)  This is also an example of a  could be true  answer. We cannot verify it though.

(E)  This can be verified with the help of the passage

"Unable to bite like a modern cat, the saber-toothed cat is thought to have used its canines to stab its victims."

It can be inferred that the modern cat and a saber-toothed cat both can bite but are different from each other.

Answer: E

Prob2303 · Answer

Can the expert please provide the explanation for Q5 and Q6?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Question 6 is explained here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/paleontologi ... l#p3039716

Prob2303 · Answer

What about the explanation for Q5?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. Which of the following, if true, would most undermine the argument posed by the author of the passage in lines 23-29 (Text in Red)

Difficulty Level:   Medium

The argument in the passage suggests that the extinction of the saber-toothed cat, particularly Smilodon, was likely due to the extinction of its prey, which were large, slow-moving mammals. The author implies that the disappearance of these prey species led to the extinction of the saber-toothed cat about 10,000 years ago. The author is making a cause-and-effect connection between the extinction of prey and the extinction of the saber-toothed cat.

Option D  would undermine this argument. If it's true that the mammals that the saber-toothed cat relied on for food still exist, then the extinction of these prey species couldn't have caused the extinction of the saber-toothed cat. In other words, the premise upon which the author's argument is based would be false.

A.  This option is about Holophoneus, which is a different species than Smilodon. It doesn't directly address the extinction of Smilodon and its prey species, so it doesn't undermine the argument presented in the passage.

B.  This statement doesn't necessarily undermine the argument. Finding a Smilodon with slightly shorter canines doesn't negate the idea that the extinction of its prey species led to its extinction. It's not conclusive evidence that the prey species still exist.

C.  Similar to option B, this statement doesn't address the extinction of the prey species that led to the extinction of Smilodon.

E.  This option is about other mammal species but doesn't specifically address the prey of Smilodon. It doesn't provide evidence that the specific prey species on which Smilodon depended for survival still exist.

In summary, option D is the correct answer because it directly challenges the premise of the argument in the passage by suggesting that the prey species of Smilodon still exist, thus undermining the causal link between the extinction of the prey and the extinction of the saber-toothed cat. The other options either do not directly relate to the extinction of Smilodon or do not provide conclusive evidence against the argument.

Answer: D

VerbalBot · Answer

Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.

Paleontologists' study of the physiognomy of the saber-toothed cat

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Paleontologists' study of the physiognomy of the saber-toothed cat

Prep Toolkit

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards