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Question 1
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
35%
(medium)
Question Stats:
61% (02:58) correct
39%
(03:13) wrong
based on 5025
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 2
C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
35%
(medium)
Question Stats:
64% (01:10) correct 36%
(01:35) wrong
based on 4961
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 3
B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
5%
(low)
Question Stats:
82% (00:45) correct 18%
(00:55) wrong
based on 4738
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Researchers studying how genes control animal behavior have had to deal with many uncertainties. In the first place, most behaviors are governed by more than one gene, and until recently geneticists had no method for identifying the multiple genes involved. In addition, even when a single gene is found to control a behavior, researchers in different fields do not necessarily agree that it is a “behavioral gene.” Neuroscientists, whose interest in genetic research is to understand the nervous system (which generates behavior), define the term broadly. But ethologists—specialists in animal behavior—are interested in evolution, so they define the term narrowly. They insist that mutations in a behavioral gene must alter a specific normal behavior and not merely make the organism ill, so that the genetically induced behavioral change will provide variation that natural selection can act upon, possibly leading to the evolution of a new species. For example, in the fruit fly, researchers have identified the gene Shaker, mutations in which cause flies to shake violently under anesthesia. Since shaking is not healthy, ethologists do not consider Shaker a behavioral gene. In contrast, ethologists do consider the gene period (per), which controls the fruit fly’s circadian (24-hour) rhythm, a behavioral gene because flies with mutated per genes are healthy; they simply have different rhythms.
1. The passage suggests that neuroscientists would most likely consider Shaker to be which of the following?
A. An example of a behavioral gene
B. One of multiple genes that control a single behavior
C. A gene that, when mutated, causes an alteration in a specific normal behavior without making the organism ill
D. A gene of interest to ethologists but of no interest to neuroscientists
E. A poor source of information about the nervous system
A. An example of a behavioral gene
B. One of multiple genes that control a single behavior
C. A gene that, when mutated, causes an alteration in a specific normal behavior without making the organism ill
D. A gene of interest to ethologists but of no interest to neuroscientists
E. A poor source of information about the nervous system
2. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following, if true, would be most likely to influence ethologists’ opinions about whether a particular gene in a species is a behavioral gene?
A. The gene is found only in that species.
B. The gene is extremely difficult to identify.
C. The only effect of mutations in the gene is to make the organism ill.
D. Neuroscientists consider the gene to be a behavioral gene.
E. Geneticists consider the gene to be a behavioral gene.
A. The gene is found only in that species.
B. The gene is extremely difficult to identify.
C. The only effect of mutations in the gene is to make the organism ill.
D. Neuroscientists consider the gene to be a behavioral gene.
E. Geneticists consider the gene to be a behavioral gene.
The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. summarize findings in an area of research
B. discuss different perspectives on a scientific question
C. outline the major questions in a scientific discipline
D. illustrate the usefulness of investigating a research topic
E. reconcile differences between two definitions of a term
A. summarize findings in an area of research
B. discuss different perspectives on a scientific question
C. outline the major questions in a scientific discipline
D. illustrate the usefulness of investigating a research topic
E. reconcile differences between two definitions of a term
Note: Verbal OG 2019 question order is #3, #1, #2
RC00322-01
RC00322-02
RC00322-05
17 Oct 2018, 22:26
Kudos
Bookmarks
I'm still seeing a pile of doubts about Q1 on this passage...
We'll get to the right answer choice by eliminating anything that explicitly contradicts the passage and keeping the choice that (according to the passage) is most likely what neuroscientists believe.
The author brings up neuroscientists and ethologists because they have contrasting definitions of what a "behavioral gene" is. Then the author offers the fruit fly and its Shaker gene as an example of that contrast. Ethologists do not consider Shaker to be a behavioral gene. So it's fair to say that the author suggests that neuroscientists would consider Shaker to be a behavioral gene.
This isn't 100% airtight, but we don't need airtight. We need something that neuroscientists would most likely consider Shaker to be. So let's keep (A) around, and see if anything else gets us closer.
So we have a fact regarding most behaviors. And this is a textbook example of an answer choice that "just sounds right." But the question asks us specifically what neuroscientists most likely believe to be true about Shaker in particular. We're missing critical information to connect the dots here:
This lack of information alone may not be enough to eliminate choice (B). However, it is enough to reject (B) in favor of (A).
All we know is that "researchers have identified THE gene Shaker, mutations in which cause flies to shake violently under anesthesia." If anything, this suggests that Shaker is in fact the only gene governing the shaking behavior. After all, the mutations that cause violent shaking take place within Shaker -- which has been apparently named after the behavior it causes. The earlier statement about most behaviors (not all behaviors) doesn't override the evidence about this particular behavior.
Choice (A) is already a much simpler and better supported choice, so let's stick with (A) and eliminate (B).
I hope this helps Shake off your doubts about the OA! (Ha. I'm hilarious. Or not...
)
TGC
oanhnguyen1116
psaikrishna90
narmfarmer
This might sound obvious, but the most important thing here is to remember what the question asks us to do:
Quote:
This comes up in CR all the time. The task of this question is not to identify an ironclad inference. We do not have to find a statement that is 100% logically airtight. Instead, the question asks us:
- From the author's perspective, which of these choices gets closest to what neuroscientists believe about Shaker?"
We'll get to the right answer choice by eliminating anything that explicitly contradicts the passage and keeping the choice that (according to the passage) is most likely what neuroscientists believe.
Quote:
Hmmm, seems simple enough!
The author brings up neuroscientists and ethologists because they have contrasting definitions of what a "behavioral gene" is. Then the author offers the fruit fly and its Shaker gene as an example of that contrast. Ethologists do not consider Shaker to be a behavioral gene. So it's fair to say that the author suggests that neuroscientists would consider Shaker to be a behavioral gene.
This isn't 100% airtight, but we don't need airtight. We need something that neuroscientists would most likely consider Shaker to be. So let's keep (A) around, and see if anything else gets us closer.
Quote:
A similar statement appears at the start of the passage:
- "In the first place, most behaviors are governed by more than one gene."
So we have a fact regarding most behaviors. And this is a textbook example of an answer choice that "just sounds right." But the question asks us specifically what neuroscientists most likely believe to be true about Shaker in particular. We're missing critical information to connect the dots here:
- We don't see any information explicitly telling us that the shaking behavior caused by mutations in Shaker is influenced by multiple genes.
- We don't see any suggestion that neuroscientists think this shaking behavior is included in the group of "most behaviors" that are governed by multiple genes.
This lack of information alone may not be enough to eliminate choice (B). However, it is enough to reject (B) in favor of (A).
All we know is that "researchers have identified THE gene Shaker, mutations in which cause flies to shake violently under anesthesia." If anything, this suggests that Shaker is in fact the only gene governing the shaking behavior. After all, the mutations that cause violent shaking take place within Shaker -- which has been apparently named after the behavior it causes. The earlier statement about most behaviors (not all behaviors) doesn't override the evidence about this particular behavior.
Choice (A) is already a much simpler and better supported choice, so let's stick with (A) and eliminate (B).
Quote:
According to the passage, there's no denying that mutation in Shaker causes fruit flies to become ill, regardless of whether you're a neuroscientist or an ethologist. Eliminate (C).
Quote:
There's absolutely nothing in the passage to back this up or even suggest that neuroscientists has "no interest" in Shaker. Eliminate (D).
Quote:
There's absolutely nothing in the passage to back this up or even suggest that neuroscientists consider Shaker to be "a poor source of information" about the nervous system. Eliminate (E).
I hope this helps Shake off your doubts about the OA! (Ha. I'm hilarious. Or not...
) 
13 Sep 2013, 09:40
Kudos
Bookmarks
Quote:
THis is an inference question -- GMATPill Framework #8 Inference
The ETHOLOGISTS' opinion is ....where?
Well, it's not going to be in the beginning -- we have what researchers think in the beginning. But what is crucial to this question is not going to be here. We want to jump to the point in the passage where we talk about the ethologists' opinion and what they really care about.
Quote:
So there you have it. We got the point where the ethologists INSIST -- this is a strong word. It indicates what they care about. And they care whether mutations make a change beyond just making them "ill".
So in #2, if (C) is true:
The only effect of mutations in the gene is to make the organism ill.
Then ETHOLOGISTS would INSIST that this is not a behavioral gene. It satisfies the question -- which MOST LIKELY INFLUENCES the ethologists' opinion.
