Some researchers contend that sleep plays no role in the consolidation

Question

Some researchers contend that sleep plays no role in the consolidation of declarative memory (i.e., memory involving factual information). These researchers note that people with impairments in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep continue to lead normal lives, and they argue that if sleep were crucial for memory, then these individuals would have apparent memory deficits. Yet the same researchers acknowledge that the cognitive capacities of these individuals have never been systematically examined, nor have they been the subject of studies of tasks on which performance reportedly depends on sleep. Even if such studies were done, they could only clarify our understanding of the role of REM sleep, not sleep in general.

These researchers also claim that improvements of memory overnight can be explained by the mere passage of time, rather than attributed to sleep.  But recent studies of memory performance after sleep — including one demonstrating that sleep stabilizes declarative memories from future interference caused by mental activity during wakefulness  — make this claim unsustainable.  Certainly there are memory-consolidation processes that occur across periods of wakefulness, some of which neither depend on nor are enhanced by sleep.  But when sleep is compared with wakefulness, and performance is better after sleep, then some benefit of sleep for memory must be acknowledged.    1 
 1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. present the evidence that supports a particular claim regarding REM sleep and memory
B. describe how various factors contribute to the effect of sleep on memory
C. argue against a particular position regarding sleep’s role in memory
D. summarize the most prevalent theory regarding sleep and memory
E. defend the importance of the consolidation of declarative memory

2 
 2. According to the author of the passage, which of the following generalizations about memory and sleep is true?

A. There are some memory-consolidation processes that have nothing to do with sleep.
B. Sleep is more important to the consolidation of declarative memory than to the consolidation of other types of memory.
C. REM sleep is more important to memory consolidation than is nonREM sleep.
D. There are significant variations in the amount of sleep that people require for the successful consolidation of memory.
E. It is likely that memory is more thoroughly consolidated during wakefulness than during sleep.

3 
 3. Which of the following best describes the function of the sentence in  highlighted text  (“Certainly … sleep”)?

A. It provides the reasoning behind a claim about the role of sleep in memory consolidation.
B. It explains why a previous claim about sleep and memory is unsustainable.
C. It demonstrates why wakefulness is central to the process of declarative memory consolidation.
D. It emphasizes the limited role sleep plays in the process of declarative memory consolidation.
E. It concedes that the consolidation of declarative memory does not depend entirely on one factor.

4 
 4. The importance of the study mentioned in   highlighted text   is that it

A. reveals the mechanism by which declarative memory is stabilized during sleep
B. identifies a specific function that sleep plays in the memoryconsolidation process
C. demonstrates that some kinds of mental activity can interfere with memory consolidation
D. suggests that sleep and wakefulness are both important to memory consolidation
E. explains how the passage of time contributes to memory consolidation

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

Explanation

As described above, the purpose of the passage as a whole is to argue against the view held by some researchers that sleep plays no role in the consolidation of declarative memory. Therefore,  Choice C  is correct.

Choice A  is incorrect: the passage does mention REM sleep twice in the first paragraph, but its primary purpose is not to examine REM sleep in particular, and it does not present evidence related to REM sleep.

Choice B  is incorrect: the passage is concerned with the effect of sleep on memory, but not with any factors that contribute to that effect.

Choice D  is incorrect: the passage does not summarize a theory. Instead, it cites a claim and then assesses and rejects that claim.

Choice E  is incorrect: although the passage is about the consolidation of declarative memory, it does nothing to defend its importance.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. According to the author of the passage, which of the following generalizations about memory and sleep is true?

Explanation

The passage states that  “there are memory-consolidation processes that occur across periods of wakefulness.”  Accordingly,  Choice A  is correct.

Choices B, C,  and  D  are incorrect: the passage does not discuss types of memory other than consolidative memory, the relative importance to consolidative memory of REM and non-REM sleep, or differences among individuals in the amount of sleep they require.

Choice E  is also incorrect: the passage suggests that the truth is the opposite of what this answer choice states. The last sentence of the passage indicates that performance on memory tasks has been found to be better after sleep than after periods of wakefulness.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. Which of the following best describes the function of the sentence in      highlighted text      (“Certainly ... sleep”)?

Explanation

The cited sentence begins with the word “Certainly,” a clue that the sentence will concede that the researchers are not entirely wrong: in this instance, they are not wrong about memory consolidation occurring during periods of wakefulness. Thus, Choice E is correct.

Choice A  is incorrect: the sentence deals with memory consolidation during wakefulness, not with the role of sleep in memory consolidation.

Choice B  is incorrect: the sentence does follow an assertion that the researchers’ claim is unsustainable, but it does not explain why it is unsustainable.

Choice C  is incorrect: the sentence does not demonstrate anything. It acknowledges that memory consolidation occurs during wakeful periods but does not identify wakefulness as central to the process.

Choice D  is incorrect: while the sentence does acknowledge that some memory-consolidation processes are not dependent on sleep, it does not go so far as to claim that sleep plays a limited role in memory consolidation generally. 
 
 Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

4. The importance of the study mentioned in     highlighted text     is that it

Explanation

The question asks what  “the importance of the study mentioned in lines 12—14”  is. The study is described as having shown that sleep stabilizes declarative memory from future interference caused by mental activity during wakefulness. This protection of memory from interference is the  “specific function”  played by sleep mentioned in  Choice B.  Therefore,  Choice B  is correct.

Choice A  is incorrect: there is no description of any mechanism, or specific process, by which declarative memory is stabilized.

Although Choices C, D, and E each involve issues connected with the study, those connections are all tangential.

Answer: B

Some researchers contend that sleep plays no role in the consolidation

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