The gospel of DNA research states that the all-familiar double-helix i

Question

The gospel of DNA research states that the all-familiar double-helix is made up of two base pairs; adenine and thymine, and cytosine and guanine. These base pairs, known as the Watson-Crick pairs, have been effectively duplicated for 3.5 billion years, and are the only base pairs for all living organisms. But for the first time in living history, a third pair is being replicated by DNA polymerase enzymes.

This unnatural pair comes not through evolution or unintended mutation, but rather through the manipulation of scientists. Dr. Floyd Romesberg in California has caused 3-fluorobenzene (3FB) to pair with itself, to form a 3FB-3FB pair alongside the natural two. To infuse an unnatural pair is no new development; rather, the innovation is that they are replicated, albeit imperfectly. While the natural pairs develop a mistake once in 10 million pairs, these unnatural pairs develop a mistake once in one thousand. While it is unlikely that the base pair can be improved upon, Dr. Romesberg believes that the replication process can be made nearly as consistent as with natural pairs. Organisms with three base pairs would be new life, able to create new amino acids and new proteins. These developments could then have radical applications in the fields of medicine and technology.  
 1 
 1. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument of some scientists that unnatural pair replication can be improved?

A) It is unlikely that any other elements of the DNA base pair replication process can be improved upon in order to create a higher success rate for replication.
B) Scientists have in the past been able to alter enzymes other than polyamerase.
C) Scientists have shown promising research in developing and altering polyamerase enzymes, and improving their capabilities.
D) The mistakes made in every thousand unnatural pairs are not significant and would not inhibit the development of new living organisms.
E) Dr. Romesberg's research has been well funded throughout the last decade.

2 
 2. The statements in the passage most strongly support which of the following inferences?

A) Dr. Romesberg is the only scientist to develop an unnatural pair.
B) Other laboratories in the U.S. have created unnatural pairs.
C) Dr. Romesberg is not the only scientist to create a replicable unnatural pair.
D) Unnatural pairs have been infused other than those infused by Dr. Romesberg.
E) Combining the two 3-fluorobenzene molecules was the chief obstacle to Dr. Romesberg's research.

3 
 3. According to the passage, which of the following is true about base pairs?

A) Unnatural pairs have greater potential to produce medicinal breakthroughs than do natural pairs.
B) Natural pairs are 1000 times more likely to develop a mistake as an unnatural pair.
C) The 3FB-3FB pair is far more unstable than the adenine-thymine pair.
D) 3FB can only bond with itself to form an unnatural pair.
E) The adenine-thymine pair is common to all living organisms.

khadatkarabhishek · Answer

Plz explain why option D is correct over option B in this passage

AnirudhaS · Answer

1. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument of some scientists that unnatural pair replication can be improved?
C) Scientists have shown promising research in developing and altering polyamerase enzymes, and improving their capabilities.
D) The mistakes made in every thousand unnatural pairs are not significant and would not inhibit the development of new living organisms.

Both are very close, and I cannot choose one over the other. Help  SajjadAhmad

bM22 · Answer

Hi  khadatkarabhishek ,

Could you phrase your question correctly. In which question exactly are you facing the issue?

Thanks.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello AnirudhaS

D)  The mistakes made in every thousand  unnatural pairs are not significant and would not inhibit the development of new living organisms.

The Highlighted part of  option D  above looks very promising, related and almost perfect but actually it is not, we have to look at the rest part of it. A problem being non significant doesn't mean the development will take place. This further text uses unauthentic scenario according to the literature available in the RC. C is better than D.

PS: This question looks a bit debatable, I would say it is not a good quality question. Option C although is better than D but itself it didn't qualify to become the OA. It lacks the rules/logic of CR of GMAT.

Regards
Sajjad

sarphant123 · Answer

Kaplan’s Official Explanation
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument of some scientists that unnatural pair replication can be improved?

A) It is unlikely that any other elements of the DNA base pair replication process can be improved upon in order to create a higher success rate for replication.
B) Scientists have in the past been able to alter enzymes other than polyamerase.
C) Scientists have shown promising research in developing and altering polyamerase enzymes, and improving their capabilities.
D) The mistakes made in every thousand unnatural pairs are not significant and would not inhibit the development of new living organisms.
E) Dr. Romesberg's research has been well funded throughout the last decade.

Answer Choice (C) states that the polyamerase enzyme, an enzyme involved in replicating DNA base pairs, can be improved upon. So (C) is correct. 
Choice (A) is a 180, weakening instead of strengthening our case. 
Choice (B) is out of scope and does not strengthen the conclusion that this pair can be improved upon. We aren't interested in enzymes other than polymerase. 
Choice (D) is also out of scope; the significance of the mistake is irrelevant; we only care about preventing the mistake in the first place. 
Choice (E) does not provide any relevant information and is also out of scope; we are not interested in the funding of Dr. Romesberg's research.

The statements in the passage most strongly support which of the following inferences?

A) Dr. Romesberg is the only scientist to develop an unnatural pair.
B) Other laboratories in the U.S. have created unnatural pairs.
C) Dr. Romesberg is not the only scientist to create a replicable unnatural pair.
D) Unnatural pairs have been infused other than those infused by Dr. Romesberg.
E) Combining the two 3-fluorobenzene molecules was the chief obstacle to Dr. Romesberg's research.
Make a Prediction: We'll have to research as we evaluate each answer, predicting only that four of these answers won't be necessarily true based on the passage, and one will be. 
Evaluate the Answer Choices: Choice (A) is extreme, and a 180. We know Dr. Romesberg isn't the "only" scientist to develop an unnatural pair, since it was "no new development." 
While we know that other labs have done it, is a distortion to say they are necessarily in the United States, as in choice (B). 
Choice (C) is not necessarily the case; in fact, the replication is described as an "innovation" of Dr. Romesberg. 
Answer Choice (D) matches the third sentence of paragraph 2: creating the pair was no innovation. Therefore, choice (D) is correct. 
Choice (E) is a faulty use of detail; we are not given any information about a "chief obstacle".

According to the passage, which of the following is true about base pairs?

A) Unnatural pairs have greater potential to produce medicinal breakthroughs than do natural pairs.
B) Natural pairs are 1000 times more likely to develop a mistake as an unnatural pair.
C) The 3FB-3FB pair is far more unstable than the adenine-thymine pair.
D) 3FB can only bond with itself to form an unnatural pair.
E) The adenine-thymine pair is common to all living organisms.
Answer Choice (E) is correct, since it reflects information clearly stated in the first paragraph. 
Choice (A) is an irrelevant comparison with no supporting evidence.
 Choice (B) is a 180, since natural pairs are less likely to develop a mistake.
 Choice (C) is a faulty use of detail, since it's not clear that one is more or less "stable."
 Choice (D) is extreme, since it is not clear that 3FB cannot bond with anything else, just that it can bond with itself.

callingTardis · Answer

@MartyTargetTestPrep please help with the first question strengthen question

Ilanchezhiyan · Answer

how to eliminate B for the first question?

The gospel of DNA research states that the all-familiar double-helix i

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The gospel of DNA research states that the all-familiar double-helix i

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