It looks like question #5 is still creating a lot of doubt here! Let's dive in.
Quote:
5. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is characteristic of the pterosaurs?
Quote:
(A) They were unable to fold their wings when not in use.
There is only one place in the entire passage where the author mentions what pterosaurs do
when they're not flying (i.e, when their wings are not in use):
When a pterosaur walked or remained stationary, the fourth finger, and with it the wing, could only turn upward in an extended inverted V-shape along each side of the animal’s body.
If the pterosaur was walking or was stationary, then it was definitely not flying. So this sentence tells us that the wing, when not in use, could
only turn
upward in an
extended inverted V-shape along each side of the animal's body. That does not sound like a folded wing, as we'd expect to see on a pigeon walking down along the street.
Even if the whole sentence is a knot of words, there are enough clear word choices here to imply that pterosaurs' wings were stuck in an extended position when they weren't being used for flight. Let's keep (A) and see if it's easier to eliminate the other choices.
Quote:
(B) They hung upside down from branches as bats do before flight.
This is the opposite of what the author writes in the final paragraph:
"The first wrongly assumes that the pterosaurs’ hind feet resembled a bat’s and could serve as hooks by which the animal could hang in preparation for flight."
So we'll eliminate (B).
Quote:
(C) They flew in order to capture prey.
There isn't a single moment in this passage where the author describes how pterosaurs captured their prey, or even hunted their prey, or even ate anything. Eliminate (C).
Quote:
(D) They were an early stage in the evolution of the birds.
As with choice (B), this choice is directly contradicted by the passage, in the second paragraph:
"The anatomy of their wings suggests that they did not evolve into the class of birds."
Eliminate (D).
Quote:
(E) They lived primarily in a forest-like habitat.
As with choice (C), we have no indication of the pterosaurs' habitat in this passage. The final paragraph describes a few settings -- cliffs, trees, and the ocean -- where pterosaurs might have interacted with the environment to become airborne. However, the author brings up these settings as parts of hypotheses that have "difficulties." This reference does not give us enough information to infer that pterosaurs
lived primarily in a
forest-like habitat, so we'll eliminate (E), too.
(A) remains the only answer choice that is supported by the passage, and that's why we keep it and move on.
_________________
GMAT/GRE/EA tutors @
www.gmatninja.com (
hiring!) |
YouTube |
Articles |
IG Beginners' Guides:
RC |
CR |
SC |
Complete Resource Compilations:
RC |
CR |
SC YouTube LIVE webinars:
all videos by topic +
24-hour marathon for UkraineQuestion Explanation Collections:
RC |
CR |
SC