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In Episode 3 of our GMAT Ninja Critical Reasoning series, we tackle Discrepancy, Paradox, and Explain an Oddity questions. You know the feeling: the passage gives you two facts that seem completely contradictory....- May 05
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GMAT Inequalities is a high-frequency topic in GMAT Quant, but many students struggle because the concepts behave differently from standard algebra. Understanding the right rules, patterns, and edge cases can significantly improve both speed and accuracy. - May 08
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16 Sep 2014, 02:25
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The field of exobiology seeks to understand the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe. Exobiology as a discipline emerged shortly after a 1953 experiment conducted at the University of Chicago that used electricity and simple gases to produce amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and, therefore, organic life as we know it. The experiment was conducted by a biology graduate student, Stephen Miller, in the lab of Harold Urey, a scientist who was already well-known for his theories on the composition of the early earth’s atmosphere. Miller and Urey put three gases believed to have been present in the early atmosphere – methane, ammonia, and hydrogen – into a closed system with an “ocean” of water at the bottom and ran electricity through the gases to simulate the lightning storms believed common on the early earth. At the end of a week, the scientists observed that basic organic compounds, including amino acids, had formed and dissolved in the water, where some of them had even combined to form more complex, though still non-living, substances.
Drawing on established scientific methodologies, exobiology synthesizes data and theories from various disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics to explore life's potential beyond our planet. Though parts of the Miller-Urey experiment have been thrown into question by more recent discoveries, exobiology remains a small, close-knit field of dedicated scientists with backgrounds in areas as diverse as biology, chemistry and physics. Much of the current research supported by NASA, the American space agency, focuses on four major areas. The first two speculate about the evolution of compounds necessary to organic life, whether that be the development in space of “biogenic,” or life-generating compounds, or the planetary evolution of compounds that are considered “prebiotic,” or pre-living. A third area seeks to trace steps of transformation from organic compounds to simple forms of life, and a fourth studies the evolution from simple organisms to the complex and diverse forms of life found on earth today. Investigations in all four areas involve a mixture of approaches: observation of simple life-forms, such as bacteria and viruses; examination of materials from space, such as asteroids, which seem to contain evidence of life; speculation based on data gathered from telescopes and space probes; and experimentation.
Today, exobiology not only reflects on its foundational experiments but also actively extends into diverse research areas, directly impacting our understanding of life's potential across the universe through both historical analysis and forward-looking scientific inquiries.
According to the passage, EACH of the following is an area of investigation for exobiology EXCEPT the
A. development in space of compounds that have potential to generate life.
B. evolution of simple life forms into more complex organisms.
C. examination of objects from space to seek evidence of non-earthly life.
D. potential uses of organic compounds not found on earth.
E. interpretation of data gathered from outer space research.
Drawing on established scientific methodologies, exobiology synthesizes data and theories from various disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics to explore life's potential beyond our planet. Though parts of the Miller-Urey experiment have been thrown into question by more recent discoveries, exobiology remains a small, close-knit field of dedicated scientists with backgrounds in areas as diverse as biology, chemistry and physics. Much of the current research supported by NASA, the American space agency, focuses on four major areas. The first two speculate about the evolution of compounds necessary to organic life, whether that be the development in space of “biogenic,” or life-generating compounds, or the planetary evolution of compounds that are considered “prebiotic,” or pre-living. A third area seeks to trace steps of transformation from organic compounds to simple forms of life, and a fourth studies the evolution from simple organisms to the complex and diverse forms of life found on earth today. Investigations in all four areas involve a mixture of approaches: observation of simple life-forms, such as bacteria and viruses; examination of materials from space, such as asteroids, which seem to contain evidence of life; speculation based on data gathered from telescopes and space probes; and experimentation.
Today, exobiology not only reflects on its foundational experiments but also actively extends into diverse research areas, directly impacting our understanding of life's potential across the universe through both historical analysis and forward-looking scientific inquiries.
According to the passage, EACH of the following is an area of investigation for exobiology EXCEPT the
A. development in space of compounds that have potential to generate life.
B. evolution of simple life forms into more complex organisms.
C. examination of objects from space to seek evidence of non-earthly life.
D. potential uses of organic compounds not found on earth.
E. interpretation of data gathered from outer space research.
16 Sep 2014, 02:25
Kudos
Bookmarks
Official Solution:
The field of exobiology seeks to understand the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe. Exobiology as a discipline emerged shortly after a 1953 experiment conducted at the University of Chicago that used electricity and simple gases to produce amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and, therefore, organic life as we know it. The experiment was conducted by a biology graduate student, Stephen Miller, in the lab of Harold Urey, a scientist who was already well-known for his theories on the composition of the early earth’s atmosphere. Miller and Urey put three gases believed to have been present in the early atmosphere – methane, ammonia, and hydrogen – into a closed system with an “ocean” of water at the bottom and ran electricity through the gases to simulate the lightning storms believed common on the early earth. At the end of a week, the scientists observed that basic organic compounds, including amino acids, had formed and dissolved in the water, where some of them had even combined to form more complex, though still non-living, substances.
Drawing on established scientific methodologies, exobiology synthesizes data and theories from various disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics to explore life's potential beyond our planet. Though parts of the Miller-Urey experiment have been thrown into question by more recent discoveries, exobiology remains a small, close-knit field of dedicated scientists with backgrounds in areas as diverse as biology, chemistry and physics. Much of the current research supported by NASA, the American space agency, focuses on four major areas. The first two speculate about the evolution of compounds necessary to organic life, whether that be the development in space of “biogenic,” or life-generating compounds, or the planetary evolution of compounds that are considered “prebiotic,” or pre-living. A third area seeks to trace steps of transformation from organic compounds to simple forms of life, and a fourth studies the evolution from simple organisms to the complex and diverse forms of life found on earth today. Investigations in all four areas involve a mixture of approaches: observation of simple life-forms, such as bacteria and viruses; examination of materials from space, such as asteroids, which seem to contain evidence of life; speculation based on data gathered from telescopes and space probes; and experimentation.
Today, exobiology not only reflects on its foundational experiments but also actively extends into diverse research areas, directly impacting our understanding of life's potential across the universe through both historical analysis and forward-looking scientific inquiries.
According to the passage, EACH of the following is an area of investigation for exobiology EXCEPT the
A. development in space of compounds that have potential to generate life.
B. evolution of simple life forms into more complex organisms.
C. examination of objects from space to seek evidence of non-earthly life.
D. potential uses of organic compounds not found on earth.
E. interpretation of data gathered from outer space research.
The answer to this question can be found by checking each statement one at a time against information stated explicitly in the passage.
Answer: D
The field of exobiology seeks to understand the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe. Exobiology as a discipline emerged shortly after a 1953 experiment conducted at the University of Chicago that used electricity and simple gases to produce amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and, therefore, organic life as we know it. The experiment was conducted by a biology graduate student, Stephen Miller, in the lab of Harold Urey, a scientist who was already well-known for his theories on the composition of the early earth’s atmosphere. Miller and Urey put three gases believed to have been present in the early atmosphere – methane, ammonia, and hydrogen – into a closed system with an “ocean” of water at the bottom and ran electricity through the gases to simulate the lightning storms believed common on the early earth. At the end of a week, the scientists observed that basic organic compounds, including amino acids, had formed and dissolved in the water, where some of them had even combined to form more complex, though still non-living, substances.
Drawing on established scientific methodologies, exobiology synthesizes data and theories from various disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics to explore life's potential beyond our planet. Though parts of the Miller-Urey experiment have been thrown into question by more recent discoveries, exobiology remains a small, close-knit field of dedicated scientists with backgrounds in areas as diverse as biology, chemistry and physics. Much of the current research supported by NASA, the American space agency, focuses on four major areas. The first two speculate about the evolution of compounds necessary to organic life, whether that be the development in space of “biogenic,” or life-generating compounds, or the planetary evolution of compounds that are considered “prebiotic,” or pre-living. A third area seeks to trace steps of transformation from organic compounds to simple forms of life, and a fourth studies the evolution from simple organisms to the complex and diverse forms of life found on earth today. Investigations in all four areas involve a mixture of approaches: observation of simple life-forms, such as bacteria and viruses; examination of materials from space, such as asteroids, which seem to contain evidence of life; speculation based on data gathered from telescopes and space probes; and experimentation.
Today, exobiology not only reflects on its foundational experiments but also actively extends into diverse research areas, directly impacting our understanding of life's potential across the universe through both historical analysis and forward-looking scientific inquiries.
According to the passage, EACH of the following is an area of investigation for exobiology EXCEPT the
A. development in space of compounds that have potential to generate life.
B. evolution of simple life forms into more complex organisms.
C. examination of objects from space to seek evidence of non-earthly life.
D. potential uses of organic compounds not found on earth.
E. interpretation of data gathered from outer space research.
The answer to this question can be found by checking each statement one at a time against information stated explicitly in the passage.
- Biogenic, or life-generating compounds, are mentioned in this line
- This type of evolution is mentioned in this line (and a fourth studies the evolution from simple organisms to the complex and diverse forms of life found on earth today) as one of the areas of investigation for exobiology.
- Examination of objects such as asteroids is mentioned in this line (examination of materials from space, such as asteroids, which seem to contain evidence of life).
- The passage does not discuss the potential uses of organic compounds not found on earth.
- This area of investigation is mentioned in this line (speculation based on data gathered from telescopes and space probes).
Answer: D
