The village of Eyam in central England is often referred to as plague

Question

The village of Eyam in central England is often referred to as “plague village.” In the summer of 1665, an outbreak of the plague was discovered in the village, and the people of the village cut off all outside contacts and let the disease run its course. For almost a year and a half, the plague touched families throughout Eyam, and when villagers finally reopened their village to outsiders, over 75% of the population had died. More interesting, however, was the fact that nearly 25% of the population was still living. In some cases, the plague carried off all but one member of a family: Elizabeth Hancock is remembered for having lost her husband and six children, but she never contracted the plague, even while nursing them. Hancock’s story is not unique; most of the survivors proved to be immune to the infection altogether. Some researchers have found that a large proportion of the descendents of plague survivors from Eyam carry a mutation of a gene known as delta 32.

Which of the following conclusions can best be inferred from the information in the passage?

(A) The delta 32 mutation was limited to residents of the village of Eyam and now appears only in their descendents.

(B) The people of the village of Eyam indicate a disproportionately high rate of the delta 32 mutation.

(C) Since the descendents of many of the plague survivors carry the delta 32 mutation, some researchers believe this gene helped people resist contracting the plague.

(D) The plague survivors from the village of Eyam developed the delta 32 mutation in response to the outbreak of plague and are thus immune to future outbreaks.

(E) The people of the village of Eyam were wrong to isolate themselves during the outbreak of the plague, because it guaranteed death for so many residents.

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mithileshk · Answer

I believe answer is  C .
 Reason:  Since some people survived the plague, it means they already had immunity during the mass infection period. And, this must be due to genetic mutation that scientist found later in descendent. Genetic mutation transfers for generations and it takes 100s of years to mutate.

Dereno · Answer

The village of Eyam, central England contracted plague in 1665 and they  cut off all communications and access  with the outside world to prevent spread. When they opened the village again, it was found that 75% had died already and 25% is alive. Interestingly, ppl like Elizabeth Hancock who have nursed and helped plague infected people have not been infected with plague. Most of the survivors ( amongst the 25% lot) has proved to be  immune to infection .

Some researchers find that large proportion of descendants carry a mutation gene delta 32.

The descendants where generally offspring’s of the surviours of the deadly plague which wiped out a major chunk of population from village Eyam. If the descendants where found to carry a specific mutated gene - Delta 32 which might not have found in earlier Eyam population groups. We can infer that, this delta 32 gene might have been the reason behind the 25% group surviving the plague, even while nursing the immediate family members.

While skimming through the options, we get tied up between C and D.

(C) Since the descendents of many of the plague survivors carry the delta 32 mutation, some researchers believe this gene helped people resist contracting the plague.

The passage mentions survivors were   immune   to infection. This immunity might have been due to gene Delta 32, which is seen among most descendants of plague survivors. Hence, we can infer that people with delta 32 gene survived the plague.

(D) The plague survivors from the village of Eyam developed the delta 32 mutation in response to the outbreak of plague and are thus immune to future outbreaks.

This option mentions, that delta 32 gene is developed in response for the plague. Protecting future plague outbreaks. This option couldn’t explain why the 25% population survived the plague. Hence, eliminated.

Option C

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Overview:

Question is based on information contained within a passage about the English village of Eyam, widely known as “plague village” because of the village’s decision in 1665 to isolate itself during an outbreak of plague, rather than risk infecting others. Over a year later, more than 75% of the people in the village had died from the plague. But almost 25% had not died, and most of these survivors never caught the plague at all. The passage concludes by noting that researchers have discovered that descendents of plague survivors from Eyam carry a specific gene mutation known as delta 32. The question asks the student to consider the purpose of the paragraph and infer a conclusion from it.

The Correct Answer:

C The final sentence in the paragraph is not immediately linked to the previous sentences, but there is an implied connection: that some researchers believe the delta 32 mutation found in descendents of the plague survivors helped them resist infection. Since most of the survivors did not contract the disease at all (“Hancock’s story is not unique: most of the survivors proved to be immune to the infection altogether”), the statement regarding the researchers’ discovery suggests that they believe the gene contributed to survival. Therefore, answer choice (C) is most correct.

The Incorrect Answers:

A Although answer choice (A) – that the delta 32 mutation is limited to the village of Eyam – might very well be accurate, the passage does not claim this anywhere. It claims only that descendants of survivors carry this gene, with the implication that their ancestors who survived the plague carried it as well. But the passage does not rule out the possibility that the gene appears in people in other parts of the world who also survived the plague. As a result, answer choice (A) is incorrect.

B Again, answer choice (B) might be true, but the passage does not claim or suggest this anywhere. The passage is focused instead on the possibility that the gene contributed to the survival of certain residents. Answer choice (B) is incorrect.

D The passage makes no suggestion that the delta 32 mutation developed in response to the plague. If anything, it seems to suggest that the gene might already have been carried by certain residents in Eyam and was thus responsible for the survivors’ ability to resist the plague infection. Answer choice (D) is clearly incorrect.

E The passage makes no evaluative statement regarding the decision by the residents of Eyam to isolate themselves: it merely presents the information as fact. Therefore, answer choice (E) can be eliminated immediately.

The village of Eyam in central England is often referred to as plague

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GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

The village of Eyam in central England is often referred to as plague

Prep Toolkit

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