Bunuel - I hope my explanations are right, feel free to correct me. Apologize in advance if I have made any error in understanding.
rhyme - I am following your advice, let me know if the mapping is proper and where I should improve.
Mapping of the passage:P1: minute fish: description
except gills + lungs - humans & fish same set organs
P2: Shark Whale= largest+gigantic
description of adults
tiny goby v/s whale
P3: Large advantages - predators, reproduction
large warm-blooded -temp const
large herbv-fermentation
Cope's rule, dinosaurs description
P4: eg-whales and dolphins: size kept increasing, thus largest
P5: Why all animals not big?
small rise to small, speciation
small go large
majority small
P6: laws+rules - biology<physics (rigid)
exception : birds no increase, NW fishes decreased
P7: another excep: extinction
meteorite , extinct dinosaurs, except some crocodile
P.S - I made a mess while I was writing these passages in rough. It looks good here but was scratchy on a notepad. I don't know what to do.
1. The primary purpose of the passage isA. to expound the advantages of being large in size. - Incorrect, the passage had adv, exception, reasons, contrary points as well.
B. to compare the advantages of being large to the disadvantages of being small. - Incorrect, No disadvantages mentioned in the passage
C. to discuss the reasons for a certain kind of diversity observed in the animal kingdom.- Okay, Hold
D. to anticipate the direction of evolution, with regards to size and weight, in the future. - Incorrect, future: No reference
E. to present a hypothesis about how the mean size or weight of a species affects its chances of survival - Incorrect, chances of survival, not mentioned in the passage
Answer -
C2. Which of the following is least supported by the passage?A. Human beings stand somewhere in the middle in terms of size or weight. - Supported,
Adults at their prime weigh up to 34 tons, more than 300 times an average human’s. Comparasion btw small humans then large animals
B. Fermentation is an organic process that may happen inside an animal as well outside.- Supported,
In large herbivores, the larger volume of the intestines leads to more effective fermentation processes, which are needed to break down plant tissues.C. Edward Cope studied the connection between living animals and the extinct ones.- Supported, (I took time in this one) The key word is :
Biologists do not feel surprised that many lineages of animals have vastly increased in size during the course of their evolution. This trend is called Cope’s rule. So if biologists study the course and that is said to be Cope's trend. Obviously, he did too.
D. Biologists don’t frame rules or laws regarding the phenomena they study. - Not Supported, and as the experts in this forum said, an extreme word is used. Do not use? What is Cope's rule then?
E. Baleen whales were about 25 meters long 41 million years ago.- Supported,
the ancient Basilosaurid whales already up to 25 meters long 41 million years ago.No where else Baleen whales are mentioned.
Answer-
D3. Which of the following is most supported by the passage?A. Evolutionary changes appear
only once in a generation in a species. - Not Supported, Extreme word.
B. Difference among individual members of a species contributes to the pace of speciation.- Okay, hold
Larger populations give rise to new species – a process called speciation C. All adult crocodiles living 66 million years ago were less than 25 kilograms in weight. - Not supported. The key word was the exception of large animals dying because of meteorite were crocodiles. Not because, they were less than 25 kgs. That was another sentence.
The event eliminated dinosaurs living on land and, with the exception of a few cold-blooded crocodiles and turtles, no land animal larger than 25 kilograms survived. D. Birds first appeared in the Mesozoic age. - Not supported. We'd be assuming they were from that age. Not necessarily true. That age might have just started and they might have appeared in the previous age that was followed by Mesozic age.
the early lineages of birds in the Mesozoic E. The size of a bird does not provide it with any advantage over other birds. - Not supported. Not discussed as such on this aspect.
Answer -
BI am struggling with RC, right now and I hope to improve. I am open to all suggestions.
1. I am trying to improve my mapping
2. I need help as I miss out terms in the passage and thus, I choose wrong answers. Let me know what I should do to improve it.
I want to score above 700+. I don't have people around me to advise me on GMAT. I would be grateful for any sort of help.
Thank you in advance.