What makes a worker ant perform one particular task rather than anothe

Question

What makes a worker ant perform one particular task rather than another? From the 1970s to the mid-1980s, researchers emphasized internal factors within individual ants, such as polymorphism, the presence in the nest of workers of diﬀerent shapes and sizes, each suited to a particular task. Other elements then considered to have primary inﬂuence upon an ant’s career were its age—it might change tasks as it got older—and its genetics. However, subsequent ant researchers have focused on external prompts for behavior. In advocating this approach, Deborah Gordon cites experiments in which intervention in a colony’s makeup perturbed worker activity. By removing workers or otherwise altering the nest conditions, researchers were able to change the tasks performed by individual workers.    1 
 1. According to the passage, which of the following factors were considered from the 1970s to the mid-1980s to inﬂuence the division of labor among a colony’s worker ants?

I. Ants’ inherited traits
II. The age of the ants
III. The ants’ experiences outside the nest

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

2 
 2. It can be inferred from the passage that Gordon and earlier researchers would agree with which of the following statements about worker ants?

I. Disruption of the nest can aﬀect workers’ roles.
II. Genetics predominates over other factors in determining a worker ant’s role.
III. An individual worker’s tasks can change during its lifetime.

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

3 
 3. The last sentence has which of the following functions in the passage?

I. It explains how the experiments performed by Gordon diﬀered from those performed by earlier researchers.
II. It justifes the methodology of the experiments cited by Gordon.
III. It gives details showing how the experiments cited by Gordon support her position.

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

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 285 Date: 18-Jul-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

Naman1313 · Answer

Acc to me. 
ques 1 - Ans D 
ques 2 - Ans B
ques 3 - Ans B

correct me if i'm wrong.

Juanherrera92 · Answer

Please provide explanation for question 2

Posted from my mobile device

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. It can be inferred from the passage that Gordon and earlier researchers would agree with which of the following statements about worker ants?

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

Choice C  is correct. The question asks about points that Gordon and earlier researchers would agree on.

Choice A  is incorrect: Nest disruption is an external factor favored by later researchers such as Gordon, but there is no suggestion that earlier researchers considered it a factor.

Choice B  is incorrect: Earlier researchers might have thought that genetics was a predominant factor, but the later work showed that other factors could override genetics.

Choice C  is correct: Both earlier and later researchers knew that an individual worker ant can change its role. According to the passage, the earlier researchers thought that an ant  “might change tasks as it got older,”  and later researchers  “were able to change the tasks performed by individual workers.”

Answer: B

Tsk123 · Answer

Please Provide explanation for question 1

Posted from my mobile device

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. According to the passage, which of the following factors were considered from the 1970s to the mid-1980s to inﬂuence the division of labor among a colony’s worker ants?

Difficulty Level:   Easy

Choices I and II are correct.  The question asks about the factors considered to affect ant roles in the earlier period under discussion. Describing the period from the 1970s to the mid-1980s, the passage states that  “Other elements then considered to have primary influence upon an ant’s career were its age … and its genetics.”  Choice III is incorrect: the passage never discusses ants’ experiences outside the nest.

Answer: C

Nikkz99 · Answer

2. It can be inferred from the passage that Gordon and earlier researchers would agree with which of the following statements about worker ants?

I. Disruption of the nest can affect workers’ roles.
II. Genetics predominates over other factors in determining a worker ant’s role.
III. An individual worker’s tasks can change during its lifetime.

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

Why option D incorrect as even I being mentioned in the passage, right?

What makes a worker ant perform one particular task rather than anothe

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

What makes a worker ant perform one particular task rather than anothe

Prep Toolkit

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

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

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Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

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