In the late nineteenth century, the highly esteemed Italian botanist

Question

In the late nineteenth century, the highly esteemed Italian botanist Arcangeli made a claim that at that time was considered "unbelievable" but that has been verified by subsequent research. It concerned the curious little arum lily  Arisarum proboscideum , known as the mousetail plant. Its flower cluster develops inside a cylindrical, vertical chamber whose upper part is bent over and ends in a dark-colored, slender, drawn-out, and curved tip, the "mousetail." The chamber is completely closed except for an elliptical window that faces earthward.

A small flying insect, coming up from the forest floor and entering the chamber through the window, is immediately confronted by the flower cluster's appendix—a structure that extends into the bent part, well above the flowers that make up the cluster. In this case the appendix is not hard and smooth as it is in many arum lilies but spongy and full of little depressions. It is also off-white in color so that the overall visual impression it gives is deceptively like that of the underside of the cap of a Boletus mushroom. Arcangeli claimed that the plant's pollinators were fungus gnats—insects that normally breed in decaying mushrooms. The mousetail plant fools them so successfully that the females deposit their eggs—which will not be able to survive—on the appendix. Before the gnats can find their way out of the chamber, they also accidentally contact the flowers, transferring pollen.

Fungus mimicry turns out to be a fairly widespread pollination strategy. Most of the fungus mimics are forest dwellers, which remain close to the ground and produce dark purple or brown flowers with pale or translucent patterns. To the human nose at least they are either scentless or musky in odor. Usually the flowers are simple urn- or kettleshaped traps containing structures that closely resemble the gills or pores of mushrooms. Another element in their fungus mimicry is their exudation of moisture during the period when the flower is active. Fungus gnats of both sexes are involved in the pollination and are misled by a combination of fungus-like features—odor, color, shape, texture, and humidity.    1 
 1. The passage most strongly supports which of the following inferences about flower-cluster appendixes?

A. Arcangeli did not hypothesize that they might play a role in attracting fungus gnats to  Arisarum proboscideum .
B. In some species of arum lilies, their texture does not mimic that of the undersides of mushrooms.
C. In  Arisarum proboscideum  they help protect the plant from attack by funguseating insects.
D. They are absent in some species of arum lilies that are pollinated by fungus gnats.
E. Arcangeli found evidence that their absence in some species of arum lilies correlated with the absence of fungus gnats in those species' habitats.

2 
 2. Which of the following most accurately expresses the main idea of the passage?

A. Arcangeli was correct in hypothesizing that fungus gnats pollinate  Arisarum proboscideum , even though his hypothesis was based on flawed data.
B.  Arisarum proboscideum , and a number of other species of plants, rely on similarities to fungi to attract pollinators.
C. Arcangeli correctly identified the species of insect that pollinates fungus-mimic O plants such as  Arisarum proboscideum  but did not understand the means by which it does so.
D. Some types of gnats that lay their eggs on fungi spend part of their lives on fungus-mimic plants such as  Arisarum proboscideum .
E. Some types of gnats reproduce on plants, such as  Arisarum proboscideum , that mimic fungi.

3 
 3. The passage most strongly supports the inference that the relationship between fungus gnats and  Arisarum proboscideum  is

A. harmful to both of the species
B. beneficial to both of the species
C. beneficial to the gnat species but harmful to  Arisarum proboscideum 
D. beneficial to the gnat species but neither harmful nor beneficial to  Arisarum proboscideum 
E. beneficial to  Arisarum proboscideum  but not to the gnat species

4 
 4. Of the fungus-like features listed in the final sentence, the passage explicitly discusses which of the following as features of  Arisarum proboscideum ?

A. Odor and humidity
B. Odor and texture
C. Odor and shape
D. Color and texture
E. Color and humidity

KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

Question 1. 1. The passage most strongly supports which of the following inferences about flower-cluster appendixes? A. Arcangeli did not hypothesize that they might play a role in attracting fungus gnats to Arisarum proboscideum. B. In some species of arum lilies, their texture does not mimic that of the undersides of mushrooms. C. In Arisarum proboscideum they help protect the plant from attack by funguseating insects. D. They are absent in some species of arum lilies that are pollinated by fungus gnats. E. Arcangeli found evidence that their absence in some species of arum lilies correlated with the absence of fungus gnats in those species' habitats. From the second paragraph: In this case the appendix is not hard and smooth as it is in many arum lilies but spongy and full of little depressions. It is also off-white in color so that the overall visual impression it gives is deceptively like that of the underside of the cap of a Boletus mushroom. In a certain species of arum lily - Arisarum proboscideum - the appendix is mushroom like but not in many others. Answer (B) Question 2. 2. Which of the following most accurately expresses the main idea of the passage? A. Arcangeli was correct in hypothesizing that fungus gnats pollinate Arisarum proboscideum, even though his hypothesis was based on flawed data. B. Arisarum proboscideum, and a number of other species of plants, rely on similarities to fungi to attract pollinators. C. Arcangeli correctly identified the species of insect that pollinates fungus-mimic O plants such as Arisarum proboscideum but did not understand the means by which it does so. D. Some types of gnats that lay their eggs on fungi spend part of their lives on fungus-mimic plants such as Arisarum proboscideum. E. Some types of gnats reproduce on plants, such as Arisarum proboscideum, that mimic fungi. The main idea of the passage is to discuss fungus mimicry in plants. It starts out by explaining an example in detail (paragraphs 1 and 2) and then goes on to make generic comments about other fungus mimics in paragraph 3. Hence answer (B) Question 3. 3. The passage most strongly supports the inference that the relationship between fungus gnats and Arisarum proboscideum is A. harmful to both of the species B. beneficial to both of the species C. beneficial to the gnat species but harmful to Arisarum proboscideum D. beneficial to the gnat species but neither harmful nor beneficial to Arisarum proboscideum E. beneficial to Arisarum proboscideum but not to the gnat species From the passage: The mousetail plant fools them so successfully that the females deposit their eggs—which will not be able to survive—on the appendix. Before the gnats can find their way out of the chamber, they also accidentally contact the flowers, transferring pollen. The gnat pollinates the plant in the process but its own eggs get killed because the gnat deposits them on the appendix thinking it is fungus. But the eggs do not survive inside the plant (presumably, they survive on the fungus only) Answer (E) Question 4. 4. Of the fungus-like features listed in the final sentence, the passage explicitly discusses which of the following as features of Arisarum proboscideum? A. Odor and humidity B. Odor and texture C. Odor and shape D. Color and texture E. Color and humidity From the second paragraph: In this case the appendix is not hard and smooth as it is in many arum lilies but spongy and full of little depressions. It is also off-white in color so that the overall visual impression it gives is deceptively like that of the underside of the cap of a Boletus mushroom. While discussing Arisarum proboscideum, the passage talks about colour (off-white) and texture (spongy and full of depressions). Answer (D) Check out this video on tackling RC in GMAT: https://youtu.be/dqoECZ41zSI

Raman109 · Answer

P1 - 
S1 - In the late nineteenth century, the highly esteemed Italian botanist Arcangeli made a claim that at that time was considered "unbelievable" but that has been verified by subsequent research.
What - The author is talking about some claim by Italian botanist Arcangeli (A) that was considered unbelievable but now has been verified. 
Who - Author 
Why - Maybe the author will share something interesting about the "unbelievable" claim.

S2 - It concerned the curious little arum lily Arisarum proboscideum, known as the mousetail plant.
What - The claim is about some mousetail plant (AP)
Who - Author 
Why - Expanding on S1.

Its flower cluster develops inside a cylindrical, vertical chamber whose upper part is bent over and ends in a dark-colored, slender, drawn-out, and curved tip, the "mousetail." The chamber is completely closed except for an elliptical window that faces Earthward.
What - Details about the plant. 
Who- Author
Why - Expand about the plant.

P2 - 
A small flying insect, coming up from the forest floor and entering the chamber through the window, is immediately confronted by the flower cluster's appendix—a structure that extends into the bent part, well above the flowers that make up the cluster. In this case the appendix is not hard and smooth as it is in many arum lilies but spongy and full of little depressions. It is also off-white in color so that the overall visual impression it gives is deceptively like that of the underside of the cap of a Boletus mushroom. Arcangeli claimed that the plant's pollinators were fungus gnats—insects that normally breed in decaying mushrooms. The mousetail plant fools them so successfully that the females deposit their eggs—which will not be able to survive—on the appendix. Before the gnats can find their way out of the chamber, they also accidentally contact the flowers, transferring pollen.

Summary - The author elaborates on the plant structure and shares the claim. The author further shares how the insect-fungus gnats help the AP pollinate.

P3 - 
Fungus mimicry turns out to be a fairly widespread pollination strategy. Most of the fungus mimics are forest dwellers, which remain close to the ground and produce dark purple or brown flowers with pale or translucent patterns. To the human nose at least they are either scentless or musky in odor. Usually the flowers are simple urn- or kettleshaped traps containing structures that closely resemble the gills or pores of mushrooms. Another element in their fungus mimicry is their exudation of moisture during the period when the flower is active. Fungus gnats of both sexes are involved in the pollination and are misled by a combination of fungus-like features—odor, color, shape, texture, and humidity.

Summary - The author further explains that this is, in fact, a reasonably popular strategy.

jain67 · Answer

Hi  KarishmaB   Bunuel  @Marttargettestprep  DmitryFarber 
Can you please explain why option A incorrect in Question 2 (Primary purpose).

Thanks in advance

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

First, A is far too narrow in scope to be the primary purpose of the passage. It makes Arcangeli the focus, when the bulk of the passage is about the plants themselves. The passage goes into great detail about the prevalence of mimicry, such that the final paragraph is about neither that specific scientist nor this specific plant at all! So A doesn't cover the scope of the passage.

Second, there is no mention of what data Arcangeli used to reach his conclusion, so the statement that his data was flawed has no basis in the passage. That's an instant elimination all on its own.

arinamdar · Answer

KarishmaB  Came across this passage in the Official Practice Test. Is the red highlight a trap? I did have the earlier description in mind but focused on last sentence and got this wrong. Overall got 3/4 in around 9 minutes.

KarishmaB · Answer

No, there is no trap here.

Of the fungus-like features listed in the final sentence, the passage explicitly discusses which of the following as features of Arisarum proboscideum?

It asks you to consider the fungus like features listed in the final sentence:
—odor, color, shape, texture, and humidity.

Out of these five features, which ones does the passage explicitly discuss as features of Arisarum proboscideum?
The passage explicitly discusses colour and texture as features of Arisarum proboscideum in the second paragraph. So the passage tells us that Arisarum proboscideum has these two fungus like features. It might have others too but the passage doesn't discuss them.

In this case the appendix is not hard and smooth as it is in many arum lilies but spongy and full of little depressions. It is also off-white in color so that the overall visual impression it gives is deceptively like that of the underside of the cap of a Boletus mushroom.

Answer (D)

sayan640 · Answer

Hi  KarishmaB  , For question no 1 , I noticed this part  is immediately confronted by the flower cluster's appendix — and this part  Before the gnats can find their way out of the chamber,   and chose option C . 
Would you like to elaborate a bit on option C ?

KarishmaB · Answer

Arcangeli claimed that the plant's pollinators were fungus gnats....
The gnats don't attack the plant. Tha gnats breed in mushrooms and the plant's appendix looks like the underside of a mushroom - to attract the gnat so that it ends up pollinating the plant. 
There is no discussion on attack on plants by insects.

PK1 · Answer

KarishmaB , @MartinMurray,  GMATNinja

How about the lines in the third paragraph 'To the human nose at least they are   either scentless or musky in odor  . Usually the flowers are simple urn- or kettleshaped traps containing structures that closely resemble the gills or pores of mushrooms. Another element in their fungus mimicry is their   exudation of moisture   during the period when the flower is active.'

While there is a definite discussion of texture and color in second paragraph, we also see explicit discussion on odor and humidity in the last paragraph. There could be a debate around moisture vs humidity but their underlying is water presence, presence of water in air for moisture vs amount of water in air for humidity.

So how can we avoid the trap answer of odor and humidity. Is it because of moisture not equal to humidity ?

Please provide some suggestion on the same.

KarishmaB · Answer

The third para talks about 'fungus mimics' and not explicitly about features of Arisarum proboscideum. Hence it is irrelevant to this question except for its last sentence.

Anshika.g · Answer

Hi  KarishmaB , why do you think option E is incorrect for Q2 (main idea of the passage)?

KarishmaB · Answer

I am able to infer from the passage that some type of gnats deposit their eggs on plants but did the author write the passage to tell me that? Is it the main idea? No. The entire passage is about the plants and how they mimic fungi to get pollinated. The gnat depositing eggs is only side information to tell us how pollination takes place.

varunkilla · Answer

Can you explain why Q3 Option A is being eliminated?

guddo · Answer

3. The passage most strongly supports the inference that the relationship between fungus gnats and Arisarum proboscideum is

The mousetail plant lures fungus gnats by mimicking a mushroom. Female gnats lay eggs on the plant’s appendix, but those eggs cannot survive. While trapped, the gnats contact the flowers and transfer pollen, helping the plant reproduce.

(A) harmful to both of the species
 
Wrong. The plant benefits from pollination, so it is not harmed overall.

(B) beneficial to both of the species
 
Wrong. The females’ eggs “will not be able to survive,” so the gnat side is harmed.

(C) beneficial to the gnat species but harmful to Arisarum proboscideum
 
Opposite. The plant benefits and the gnats do not.

(D) beneficial to the gnat species but neither harmful nor beneficial to Arisarum proboscideum
 
Opposite. The plant benefits via pollination.

(E) beneficial to Arisarum proboscideum but not to the gnat species
 
Yes. The plant gains pollination, while the gnats are deceived into laying doomed eggs, so they do not benefit.  This best matches the passage.

Answer: (E)

In the late nineteenth century, the highly esteemed Italian botanist

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

In the late nineteenth century, the highly esteemed Italian botanist

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