In 2010, a team of biologists led by Svante Paabo announced evidence

Question

In 2010, a team of biologists led by Svante Paabo announced evidence that modern humans interbred with Neanderthals some 60,000–100,000 years ago. These researchers compared the full sequence of Neanderthal DNA to that of five modern humans from China, France, sub-Saharan Africa, and Papua New Guinea, and looked for DNA shared by both Neanderthals and non-African modern humans, but not by sub-Saharan Africans. Because Neanderthals and modern humans are known to have diverged hundreds of thousands of years before modern humans left Africa, Paabo attributed any such common DNA to interbreeding in Eurasia. Paabo’s team announced that the modern humans from China, France, and Papua New Guinea all have the same proportion of Neanderthal DNA, and inferred that interbreeding with Neanderthals must have taken place before the ancestor population of those Eurasians divided. Paabo maintained that these two events, the migration of modern humans out of Africa and the division of the Eurasian population, mark the interval during which the interbreeding must have taken place, and that for roughly forty thousand years of that window, Neanderthals and modern humans lived near one another in the Middle East.

The team’s conclusions were answered with skepticism on a number of fronts. Critics pointed out that an earlier report reached similar conclusions based on Neanderthal samples later found to be contaminated with DNA from modern humans. Paleontologists and archaeologists charged that the conclusion was unsupported by archaeological evidence. Further, Paabo’s team found evidence only of Neanderthal DNA in modern humans, not of modern human DNA in Neanderthals, but critics claim that interbreeding would result in gene flow in both directions.

The team’s conclusions were answered with skepticism on a number of fronts. Critics pointed out that an earlier report reached similar conclusions based on Neanderthal samples later found to be contaminated with DNA from modern humans. Paleontologists and archaeologists charged that the conclusion was unsupported by archaeological evidence. Further, Paabo’s team found evidence only of Neanderthal DNA in modern humans, not of modern human DNA in Neanderthals, but critics claim that interbreeding would result in gene flow in both directions.    1 
 1. The passage implies that which of the following claims is true?

I. Modern humans and Neanderthals share a common ancestor.
II. Modern humans and Neanderthals interbred.
III. Modern humans and Neanderthals lived near one another approximately 80,000 years ago.

A. I Only
B. III Only
C. I and III Only
D. II and III Only
E. I, II, and III

2 
 2. The passage suggests which of the following is true of Paabo’s critics?

I. they doubt Paabo’s integrity
II. they ignore DNA evidence
III. they sometimes appeal to archaeological evidence

A. I Only
B. II Only
C. III Only
D. I and II Only
E. II and III Only

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 129 Date: 02-May-2023
 This question is part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

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Ishatv · Answer

Hey dude, great quality content!!!so thanks for that. though don't you think the passage length has gone down a bit from the Jan-March passages of approx 400-450 words to now it ranging in 200-250 words category.....
just want your opinion on this. Thanks!

Sajjad1994 · Answer

From Jan-March the majority of the passages posted were coming from the official LSAT but now the source of the passages is changed. LSAT passages are usually lengthy.

GMATmona07 · Answer

In Q1, how can we infer that "Modern humans and Neanderthals share a common ancestor"? There is no evidence supporting this statement, because the findings of Pabbo are discarded in the 2nd paragraph.

Please explain.
Thanks

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The passage implies that which of the following claims is true?

Explanation

Regarding the first statement, the passage claims  modern humans are known to have diverged hundreds of thousands of years before modern humans left Africa.  To say that they diverged is to say that two species share a common ancestry to that point. Regarding the second statement, whether modern humans and Neanderthals interbred is a matter of controversy  (The team’s conclusions were answered with skepticism on a number of fronts)  and thus this answer cannot be definitely true. Finally, although the passage does not endorse the claim that modern humans and Neanderthals interbred between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago, it treats as given the claim that the two species lived near one another during that interval  (for roughly forty thousand years of that window Neanderthals and modern humans lived near one another in the Middle East).

Answer: C

manhanld · Answer

Hi, can anyone explain to me why in Q2 I is untrue. Thanks

akshitab2912 · Answer

Sajjad1994  : In Q1: Just because the two groups diverged doesn't mean they have the same ancenstry. Where is it said that the two interbred ? - interbreeding is at the heart of the passage. That's the point of contention - did modern human interbreed with neanderthal? The group is trying to convince - how can we conclude that the ancestry is the same?

In 2010, a team of biologists led by Svante Paabo announced evidence

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

In 2010, a team of biologists led by Svante Paabo announced evidence

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