The term biomimicry surfaces frequently in scientific circles to desc

Question

The term  biomimicry  surfaces frequently in scientific circles to describe a method of using lessons from nature to make technological progress. In recent years, human beings have learned to replicate the strategies of animals in order to improve the efficiency of products. However, biomimicry is not an invention of modern scientists but is of the natural world itself. To escape perceived threats and to help ensure species survival, some animals rely on their ability to adopt or mimic the appearance of another species and thus trick their predators into thinking that they are something else.

Some butterflies use biomimicry effectively to ward off predators who mistake them for their poisonous cousins: the monarchs. Different species of butterfly can be distinguished by the pattern on their wings, and in theory, these patterns alert predators to the types of prey that will harm them. The diverse methods of camouflage have long intrigued animal scientists, but the concept of biomimicry in general has piqued the interest of inventors who recognize the value of nature's designs. A biological mechanism in spiders enables them to produce silk that is five times stronger than steel, and an equally impressive mechanism unique to the brittle star has the ability to focus light ten times more sharply than a human-made lens.    1 
 1. The passage implies that biomimicry in the animal world

A. closely mirrors the human pursuit for technological improvement.
B. is common to animals that exhibit functionally similar behaviors.
C. serves as a method of interspecies communication.
D. clarifies concepts such as how spiders developed incredibly strong silk.
E. explains why some species are more prone to extinction than others.

2 
 2. The main purpose of the passage is to

A. describe an animal behavior mechanism aimed at self-defense.
B. rebut those who claim that biomimicry is a human invention.
C. describe natural designs that might be used as the basis of technological innovation.
D. show that designs based on the natural world tend to be superior to more traditional designs.
E. discuss a recent strategy for technological innovation that is highly similar to a strategy employed by some animal species.

3 
 3. The author states that biomimicry in scientific laboratories involves

A. tracing the evolution of a specific technological process to an animal behavior.
B. analyzing the effectiveness of a biological process to species survival.
C. comparing biological processes in animals and humans to identify functional similarities.
D. modeling natural biological mechanisms and applying them to synthetic commodities.
E. studying a natural phenomenon with the intention of applying it to human society.

Bambi2021 · Accepted Answer

Try biomimicry? Pretend to be a smart guy, and the test might actually think you know what you are doing. Thats my recipe.

Harshii · Answer

Ques 1  -  A 
B, C, D, and E are not mentioned in the passage. It is clearly mentioned in paragraph 1 that "biomimicry surfaces frequently in scientific circles to describe a method of using lessons from nature to make technological progress." It is also mentioned that "To escape perceived threats and to help ensure species survival, some animals rely on their ability to adopt or mimic the appearance of another species and thus trick their predators into thinking that they are something else.". Hence,  A  is the correct answer.

Ques 2  -  C 
The author gives the example of butterflies as well as of spiders to show the animal strategies that will be used as the basis for technological innovation.

Ques 3  -  D 
We can clearly eliminate options A, B, and C. There is little confusion among options D and E. However, option E says that biomimicry involves studying a natural phenomenon with the intention of applying it to human society. It is given in paragraph 1 that "The term biomimicry surfaces frequently in scientific circles to describe a method of using lessons from nature to make technological progress." Moreover, biomimicry is not a natural phenomenon but strategies used by animals to trick animals or to create extraordinary designs (as is mentioned in spiders and brittle star example). Hence, option  D  is the best choice.

GAngstA · Answer

official explanation for question 1 is available....
OA: b why not option A?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

I am agree there could some problem with the posted answer and i think the answer should be A. The source (a PDF) from which i have taken this passage might have faulty answers. So let's wait until someone can verify the OA.

PS: I have changed the OA to A for now.

Thank you

Mel888 · Answer

Personally,the Q1 asks "in animal world",so A is not relevant.
Then,To escape perceived threats and to help ensure species survival, some animals rely on their ability to adopt or mimic the appearance of another species and thus trick their predators into thinking that they are something else. 
this sentence indicates that biomimicry is a common method for some animals to survive and escape threats.
So I pick B.

GAngstA · Answer

i have question, how do increase my efficiency in rc of 700-level questions

RakshithTN · Answer

Need help with Q2, please. I picked 'E'

AnkithaSrinivas · Answer

Option E says : discuss a recent strategy for technological innovation that is highly similar to a strategy employed by some animal species.
But the passage does not discuss the strategy for technological innovation at all

RakshithTN · Answer

IMO The second paragraph elaborates the claims made in the first paragraph. It merely states the different instances where animals use bio-mimicry to their advantage. However, nowhere it implies that the examples cited could be used as the basis of technological innovation.

AnkithaSrinivas · Answer

I agree with you , it does not imply examples cited could be used as the basis of technological innovation.

thats why the option C says describe natural designs that   might be used /highlight] as the basis of technological innovation.

At the end we have to choose the best out of 5 .. i was down to C and E .. but could not find anything that helped me select option E. and C was not extreme in language

RakshithTN · Answer

IMO The second paragraph elaborates the claims made in the first paragraph. It merely states the different instances where animals use bio-mimicry to their advantage. However, nowhere it implies that the examples cited could be used as the basis of technological innovation.

I agree with you , it does not imply examples cited could be used as the basis of technological innovation.

thats why the option C says describe natural designs that   might be used /highlight] as the basis of technological innovation.

At the end we have to choose the best out of 5 .. i was down to C and E .. but could not find anything that helped me select option E. and C was not extreme in language

But, should that be the main purpose of the passage. That looks very weak.

The 'strategy' IMO is mimicking an animal to your advantage (other animals- for their survival; and for humans, it leads to technological innovation)

AnkithaSrinivas · Answer

IMO The second paragraph elaborates the claims made in the first paragraph. It merely states the different instances where animals use bio-mimicry to their advantage. However, nowhere it implies that the examples cited could be used as the basis of technological innovation.

I agree with you , it does not imply examples cited could be used as the basis of technological innovation.

thats why the option C says describe natural designs that   might be used /highlight] as the basis of technological innovation.

At the end we have to choose the best out of 5 .. i was down to C and E .. but could not find anything that helped me select option E. and C was not extreme in language

But, should that be the main purpose of the passage. That looks very weak.

The 'strategy' IMO is mimicking an animal to your advantage (other animals- for their survival; and for humans, it leads to technological innovation)

2. The main purpose of the passage is to

A. describe an animal behavior mechanism aimed at self-defense.
B. rebut those who claim that biomimicry is a human invention.
C. describe natural designs that might be used as the basis of technological innovation.
D. show that designs based on the natural world tend to be superior to more traditional designs.
E. discuss a recent strategy for technological innovation that is highly similar to a strategy employed by some animal species.

Where in the passage is recent strategy for technological innovation discussed?

officiisnobis · Answer

Hi  KarishmaB  Can you help?
For question 2 how can we eliminate option E?

guddo · Answer

2. The main purpose of the passage is to

The passage explains biomimicry and gives several examples of useful mechanisms found in nature, including butterfly camouflage, spider silk, and the brittle star’s ability to focus light.  The broader purpose  is to describe  natural designs that can inspire technological innovation .

(A) describe an animal behavior mechanism aimed at self-defense.

Incorrect. Self-defense through mimicry is only one example. The passage also discusses spider silk and the brittle star, which are not examples of defensive mimicry.

(B) rebut those who claim that biomimicry is a human invention.

Incorrect. The passage does say that biomimicry is not purely a human invention, but it is not mainly responding to or refuting a specific opposing view.

(C) describe natural designs that might be used as the basis of technological innovation.

Correct.   The passage focuses broadly on useful mechanisms found in nature and explains why inventors are interested in them. The examples of butterfly patterns, spider silk, and the brittle star all support this purpose.

(D) show that designs based on the natural world tend to be superior to more traditional designs.

Incorrect. The passage gives impressive examples from nature but does not make the general claim that nature-based designs are usually superior.

(E) discuss a recent strategy for technological innovation that is highly similar to a strategy employed by some animal species.

Incorrect. This captures part of the first paragraph, but it is too narrow for the whole passage. The spider-silk and brittle-star examples concern valuable natural mechanisms, not animals imitating other species.

Answer: (C)

egmat · Answer

Hi officiisnobis,

E is the classic trap answer here, and the discussion above (AnkithaSrinivas vs. RakshithTN) circled the right instinct without quite naming why E fails. Let me pin it down.

E says the passage discusses a tech strategy that is  "highly similar"  to what some animals do. There are two problems with that phrase.

Problem 1: "highly similar" overreaches

Look at what the two strategies actually are:

-  The animals' strategy  - mimicking the  appearance  of another species to fool predators and survive (the butterfly/monarch example).
-  The human strategy  - copying a biological  mechanism  to build better products (spider silk stronger than steel, the brittle star's light-focusing).

The passage links human tech to nature ("biomimicry is not an invention of modern scientists but is of the natural world itself"), but linked is not the same as  highly similar . One is about looking like something else to stay alive; the other is about replicating a mechanism to make a product. So "highly similar" claims more than the text supports.

Problem 2: it misses the passage's real focus

The passage builds toward inventors who "recognize the value of nature's designs," ending emphatically on silk and the brittle-star lens. Its purpose is to  describe nature's designs as a source for innovation  - which is exactly C. E instead makes the  similarity between two strategies  the point, which isn't where the passage's momentum lands.

A quick test to feel it:  swap E's phrasing to "...a strategy that  takes inspiration from  some animal species." Now it would be defensible - but that's a much weaker claim than "highly similar." That gap between "inspired by" and "highly similar" is the exact overreach that kills E.

Notice this is the same reason C wins in the thread's C-vs-E debate: C's hedged " might be used " stays inside the text, while E's " highly similar " steps past it.

Answer: C

The term biomimicry surfaces frequently in scientific circles to desc

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

The term biomimicry surfaces frequently in scientific circles to desc

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

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