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Updated on: 31 Jan 2021, 08:10
Originally posted by RaviChandra on 29 Oct 2009, 08:56.
Last edited by Sajjad1994 on 31 Jan 2021, 08:10, edited 7 times in total.
Last edited by Sajjad1994 on 31 Jan 2021, 08:10, edited 7 times in total.
Updated - Complete topic (180).
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Question 1
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
64% (03:06) correct
36%
(03:09) wrong
based on 2753
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 2
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:
80% (00:41) correct 20%
(00:59) wrong
based on 3094
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 3
C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
25%
(medium)
Question Stats:
68% (01:07) correct 32%
(01:03) wrong
based on 3100
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 4
B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
75% (01:07) correct 25%
(01:23) wrong
based on 3077
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 5
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
58% (01:12) correct 42%
(01:15) wrong
based on 3085
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 6
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:
89% (00:38) correct 11%
(00:52) wrong
based on 2899
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 7
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
31% (01:19) correct 69%
(01:31) wrong
based on 2886
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
The fossil remains of the first flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs, have intrigued paleontologists for more than two centuries. How such large creatures, which weighed in some cases as much as a piloted hang-glider and had wingspans from 8 to 12 meters, solved the problems of powered flight, and exactly what these creatures were—reptiles or birds—are among the questions scientists have puzzled over.
Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls, pelvises, and hind feet are reptilian. The anatomy of their wings suggests that they did not evolve into the class of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated fourth finger of each forelimb supported a wing-like membrane. The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharp claws. In birds the second finger is the principal strut of the wing, which consists primarily of feathers. If the pterosaurs walked on all fours, the three short fingers may have been employed for grasping. 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.
The pterosaurs resembled both birds and bats in their overall structure and proportions. This is not surprising because the design of any flying vertebrate is subject to aerodynamic constraints. Both the pterosaurs and the birds have hollow bones, a feature that represents a savings in weight. In the birds, however, these bones are reinforced more massively by internal struts.
Although scales typically cover reptiles, the pterosaurs probably had hairy coats. T. H. Huxley reasoned that flying vertebrates must have been warm-blooded because flying implies a high rate of metabolism, which in turn implies a high internal temperature. Huxley speculated that a coat of hair would insulate against loss of body heat and might streamline the body to reduce drag in flight. The recent discovery of a pterosaur specimen covered in long, dense, and relatively thick hairlike fossil material was the first clear evidence that his reasoning was correct.
Efforts to explain how the pterosaurs became airborne have led to suggestions that they launched themselves by jumping from cliffs, by dropping from trees, or even by rising into light winds from the crests of waves. Each hypothesis has its difficulties. 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. The second hypothesis seems unlikely because large pterosaurs could not have landed in trees without damaging their wings. The third calls for high waves to channel updrafts. The wind that made such waves however, might have been too strong for the pterosaurs to control their flight once airborne.
Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls, pelvises, and hind feet are reptilian. The anatomy of their wings suggests that they did not evolve into the class of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated fourth finger of each forelimb supported a wing-like membrane. The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharp claws. In birds the second finger is the principal strut of the wing, which consists primarily of feathers. If the pterosaurs walked on all fours, the three short fingers may have been employed for grasping. 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.
The pterosaurs resembled both birds and bats in their overall structure and proportions. This is not surprising because the design of any flying vertebrate is subject to aerodynamic constraints. Both the pterosaurs and the birds have hollow bones, a feature that represents a savings in weight. In the birds, however, these bones are reinforced more massively by internal struts.
Although scales typically cover reptiles, the pterosaurs probably had hairy coats. T. H. Huxley reasoned that flying vertebrates must have been warm-blooded because flying implies a high rate of metabolism, which in turn implies a high internal temperature. Huxley speculated that a coat of hair would insulate against loss of body heat and might streamline the body to reduce drag in flight. The recent discovery of a pterosaur specimen covered in long, dense, and relatively thick hairlike fossil material was the first clear evidence that his reasoning was correct.
Efforts to explain how the pterosaurs became airborne have led to suggestions that they launched themselves by jumping from cliffs, by dropping from trees, or even by rising into light winds from the crests of waves. Each hypothesis has its difficulties. 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. The second hypothesis seems unlikely because large pterosaurs could not have landed in trees without damaging their wings. The third calls for high waves to channel updrafts. The wind that made such waves however, might have been too strong for the pterosaurs to control their flight once airborne.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that scientists now generally agree that the
(A) enormous wingspan of the pterosaurs enabled them to fly great distances
(B) structure of the skeleton of the pterosaurs suggests a close evolutionary relationship to bats
(C) fossil remains of the pterosaurs reveal how they solved the problem of powered flight
(D) pterosaurs were reptiles
(E) pterosaurs walked on all fours
(A) enormous wingspan of the pterosaurs enabled them to fly great distances
(B) structure of the skeleton of the pterosaurs suggests a close evolutionary relationship to bats
(C) fossil remains of the pterosaurs reveal how they solved the problem of powered flight
(D) pterosaurs were reptiles
(E) pterosaurs walked on all fours
2. The author views the idea that the pterosaurs became airborne by rising into light winds created by waves as
(A) revolutionary
(B) unlikely
(C) unassailable
(D) probable
(E) outdated
(A) revolutionary
(B) unlikely
(C) unassailable
(D) probable
(E) outdated
3. According to the passage, the skeleton of a pterosaur can be distinguished from that of a bird by the
(A) size of its wingspan
(B) presence of hollow spaces in its bones
(C) anatomic origin of its wing strut
(D) presence of hooklike projections on its hind feet
(E) location of the shoulder joint joining the wing to its body
(A) size of its wingspan
(B) presence of hollow spaces in its bones
(C) anatomic origin of its wing strut
(D) presence of hooklike projections on its hind feet
(E) location of the shoulder joint joining the wing to its body
4. The ideas attributed to T. H. Huxley in the passage suggest that he would most likely agree with which of the following statements?
(A) An animal’s brain size has little bearing on its ability to master complex behaviors.
(B) An animal’s appearance is often influenced by environmental requirements and physical capabilities.
(C) Animals within a given family group are unlikely to change their appearance dramatically over a period of time.
(D) The origin of flight in vertebrates was an accidental development rather than the outcome of specialization or adaptation.
(E) The pterosaurs should be classified as birds, not reptiles.
(A) An animal’s brain size has little bearing on its ability to master complex behaviors.
(B) An animal’s appearance is often influenced by environmental requirements and physical capabilities.
(C) Animals within a given family group are unlikely to change their appearance dramatically over a period of time.
(D) The origin of flight in vertebrates was an accidental development rather than the outcome of specialization or adaptation.
(E) The pterosaurs should be classified as birds, not reptiles.
5. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is characteristic of the pterosaurs?
(A) They were unable to fold their wings when not in use.
(B) They hung upside down from branches as bats do before flight.
(C) They flew in order to capture prey.
(D) They were an early stage in the evolution of the birds.
(E) They lived primarily in a forest-like habitat.
(A) They were unable to fold their wings when not in use.
(B) They hung upside down from branches as bats do before flight.
(C) They flew in order to capture prey.
(D) They were an early stage in the evolution of the birds.
(E) They lived primarily in a forest-like habitat.
6. Which of the following best describes the organization of the last paragraph of the passage?
(A) New evidence is introduced to support a traditional point of view.
(B) Three explanations for a phenomenon are presented, and each is disputed by means of specific information.
(C) Three hypotheses are outlined, and evidence supporting each is given.
(D) Recent discoveries are described, and their implications for future study are projected.
(E) A summary of the material in the preceding paragraphs is presented, and conclusions are drawn.
(A) New evidence is introduced to support a traditional point of view.
(B) Three explanations for a phenomenon are presented, and each is disputed by means of specific information.
(C) Three hypotheses are outlined, and evidence supporting each is given.
(D) Recent discoveries are described, and their implications for future study are projected.
(E) A summary of the material in the preceding paragraphs is presented, and conclusions are drawn.
7. It can be inferred from the passage that some scientists believe that pterosaurs
(A) lived near large bodies of water
(B) had sharp teeth for tearing food
(C) were attacked and eaten by larger reptiles
(D) had longer tails than many birds
(E) consumed twice their weight daily to maintain their body temperature
(A) lived near large bodies of water
(B) had sharp teeth for tearing food
(C) were attacked and eaten by larger reptiles
(D) had longer tails than many birds
(E) consumed twice their weight daily to maintain their body temperature
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Pterosaurs
Wann Langston Jr.
Scientific American
Vol. 244, No. 2 (February 1981), pp. 122-137
Published by: Scientific American, a division of Nature America, Inc.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24964287
Page Count: 16
Pterosaurs
Wann Langston Jr.
Scientific American
Vol. 244, No. 2 (February 1981), pp. 122-137
Published by: Scientific American, a division of Nature America, Inc.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24964287
Page Count: 16
Attachment:
18 Nov 2009, 05:06
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jshah
We can assume that the pterosaurs lived near large bodies of water, because one of the hypothesis for how the pterosaurs flew was that they somehow took advantage of "high waves to channel updrafts". Why would the scientists think that if they didn't think pterosaurs lived by water?
Hope it helps.
20 Dec 2018, 17:52
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It looks like question #5 is still creating a lot of doubt here! Let's dive in.
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.
So we'll eliminate (B).
Eliminate (D).
(A) remains the only answer choice that is supported by the passage, and that's why we keep it and move on.
Quote:
Quote:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
