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605-655 (Medium)|   Science|   Short Passage|                              
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joe123x
total time: 6minutes

3/4

I have an issue with Q3:

According to the passage, which of the following is a prediction that is based on the strength of the gravitational attraction of small asteroids?

(A) Small asteroids will be few in number.

b Small asteroids will be monoliths[/b].

b Small asteroids will collide with other asteroids very rarely.[/b]

(D) Most small asteroids will have very fast rotation rates.

(E) Almost no small asteroids will have very slow rotation rates.

in options, B and C COULD BE RIGHT, what is the main issue here? why choose B over C?

Check out this post if you haven't already: https://gmatclub.com/forum/when-asteroi ... l#p2690904.

The question doesn't ask, "Which of the following COULD be true?" Rather, the question asks, "Which of the following is a prediction that is based on the strength of the gravitational attraction of small asteroids?" That makes (B) the best answer.
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In this 40 minutes video, I go through the passage in depth, and discuss the various questions and the related answer choices.

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Hi GMATNinja
Thank you for the explanations of all the questions. I have gone through all the answers, really helpful.
Still, I have a doubt in my mind, in question 3 we are asked about a prediction and I rejected B thinking that this is something written explicitly so how can this be a prediction? I was searching for rather an implicit prediction.
How should I approach this kind of thought while solving an RC?
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Question 3


jain67
Hi GMATNinja

Thank you for the explanations of all the questions. I have gone through all the answers, really helpful.

Still, I have a doubt in my mind, in question 3 we are asked about a prediction and I rejected B thinking that this is something written explicitly so how can this be a prediction? I was searching for rather an implicit prediction.

How should I approach this kind of thought while solving an RC?
­It sounds like you're interpreting the question as: "Which of the following is a prediction that was not mentioned in the passage but that can be inferred based on the information in the passage?" But that isn't what the question asks.

Instead, we're just looking for a prediction that is based on the strength of the gravitational attraction of small asteroids -- and that prediction isn't disqualified just because it was explicitly stated in the passage.

In short, a prediction and an inference are not the same thing. (And for what it's worth: even a simple rephrasing of something explicitly written in a passage can qualify as an inference, so don't be too quick to eliminate something just because it sounds similar to what's in the passage.)

I hope that helps!­
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Question 1:

Let me walk you through the key reasoning that will help you crack this one.

Here's how to approach this systematically:

Step 1: Identify what makes these five asteroids special
Notice that these five asteroids are described as exceptions - they're the only ones that don't "obey a strict limit on rate of rotation." This means they can spin faster than almost all other asteroids without breaking apart.

Step 2: Connect rotation ability to asteroid structure
The passage gives you a crucial relationship early on: if asteroids are solid rocks (monoliths), they can handle fast rotation. But if they're loose piles of rubble, "any loose aggregate spinning faster than once every few hours would fly apart."

So here's your key insight: The ability to spin fast = solid structure

Step 3: Apply the size pattern
The passage tells you these five exceptions are all "smaller than 200 meters in diameter." Then, in the final sentence, it directly states: "most small asteroids should be monolithic, because impact fragments easily escape their feeble gravity."

Step 4: Make the logical connection
Put it together: These five asteroids can spin fast without flying apart → Only solid structures can do this → They're small → The passage says small asteroids should be monolithic → Therefore, these five are monoliths.

Answer: C

The beauty of this question is how it tests whether you can connect the rotation data back to the structural explanations. You need to see that fast rotation capability is actually evidence of being a solid rock rather than a rubble pile.

You can check out the comprehensive analysis on Neuron by e-GMAT to master the systematic approach for handling scientific RC passages and their inference patterns. You can also explore detailed solutions for other official RC questions to build your skills with complex scientific reasoning.
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3. According to the passage, which of the following is a prediction that is based on the strength of the gravitational attraction of small asteroids?


(B) Small asteroids will be monoliths. -- the author says SHOULD not will

(D) Most small asteroids will have very fast rotation rates.
Small asteroids ??? monoliths ??? (passage says this)
Monoliths ??? fast rotation ??? (passage implies this)
Therefore small asteroids ??? fast rotation .. why can we not infer this?
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Setup — two asteroid types and their expected rotation distributions
Collisions can speed up or slow down asteroid rotation. If all asteroids are monoliths (single rocks), rotation rates should form a full bell curve including fast and slow tails. If asteroids are rubble piles (loose aggregates), the fast-rotation tail would be missing — because any rubble pile spinning faster than once every few hours would fly apart.
Key finding
Researchers observed that almost all asteroids obey a strict rotation speed limit. The only exceptions are 5 asteroids all smaller than 200 meters, with an abrupt cutoff at that diameter.
Conclusion drawn
Asteroids larger than 200m are rubble piles. The 5 exceptions (under 200m) are monoliths. This matches computer modeling which also finds a structural transition at 200m.

[color=#3d3d3a]Explanation — why the 200m cutoff exists
A collision can blast a large asteroid apart, but the fragments usually move slower than escape velocity — so gravity pulls them back together over several hours into a rubble pile. Because collisions are frequent, most large asteroids have already become rubble piles this way. Small asteroids stay as monoliths because their gravity is too weak — fragments easily reach escape velocity and fly off permanently, leaving nothing to reassemble.[/color]

q1
[color=#0f6e56]✓ Correct: (C) — they are monoliths.
Chain: exceptions are all under 200m → paragraph 2 says small asteroids stay monolithic because weak gravity can't reassemble fragments → therefore the 5 are monoliths. Requires connecting two parts of the passage.
All choices
(A) Same rotation rates — speculation, never compared in the passage.
(B) Same number of collisions — speculation, never discussed.
(C) They are monoliths — correct, supported by size + paragraph 2 gravity logic.
(D) Composed of escaped fragments — escape velocity is mentioned in paragraph 2 but never linked specifically to these 5 asteroids.
(E) Detected only recently — never stated anywhere.[/color]

[color=#712b13][color=#3c3489]Q2 — what finding would challenge the conclusion?
✓ Correct: (D) — asteroid 500m diameter, rotating once per hour.
The conclusion is: asteroids larger than 200m are rubble piles. To challenge it you need a large asteroid spinning faster than "once every few hours" — because a rubble pile at that speed would fly apart, meaning it must be a monolith. D is larger than 200m AND spins faster than the threshold.
All choices
(A) 100m, once per week — under 200m and very slow. No challenge.
(B) 150m, 20x per hour — under 200m so it's expected to be a monolith. No challenge to the conclusion about large asteroids.
(C) 250m, once per week — large but extremely slow. Consistent with rubble pile.
(D) 500m, once per hour — large AND fast. Challenges the conclusion directly.
(E) 1,000m, once per 24 hours — large but very slow. Consistent with rubble pile.[/color][/color]

[color=#712b13][color=#3c3489]Q3 — prediction based on small asteroid gravity?
✓ Correct: (B) — small asteroids will be monoliths.
Directly stated: "most small asteroids should be monolithic, because impact fragments easily escape their feeble gravity." Gravity is the direct cause, monolith is the direct prediction.
Your answer: (D)
You picked D (fast rotation rates). Your chain was: small → monolith → fast rotation. The logic is valid but D is one step too far from gravity. The question asks what gravity predicts — gravity predicts monolith structure, not rotation speed. Rotation speed follows from structure, not directly from gravity.
All choices
(A) Few in number — never discussed.
(B) Monoliths — correct, directly caused by weak gravity.
(C) Collide rarely — frequency of collisions never linked to gravity strength.
(D) Very fast rotation — one step too removed from gravity. Rotation follows from structure, not directly from gravitational strength.
(E) Almost none with slow rotation — never stated, and slow rotation isn't discussed for small asteroids.[/color][/color]

[color=#712b13][color=#3c3489]Q4 — why does the author mention escape velocity?
✓ Correct: (E) — the tendency for large asteroids to persist after collisions.
Escape velocity explains why large asteroids get reassembled into rubble piles after collisions — fragments move slower than escape velocity, gravity pulls them back, they persist. For small asteroids the opposite happens: fragments escape. The mention of escape velocity is to explain the outcome for large asteroids, not to discuss speed itself.
Your answer: (B)
You picked B (speed of reassembly). The passage never discusses how fast reassembly happens — only that it happens over several hours. Escape velocity explains whether reassembly happens at all, not how quickly. The key insight: escape velocity is about the outcome (persist vs. fly apart), not the speed of the process.
All choices
(A) Asteroids become smaller over time — never stated.
(B) Speed of reassembly — passage never discusses reassembly speed. This is what you picked.
(C) Frequency of collisions — escape velocity has nothing to do with collision frequency.
(D) Rotation rates of small asteroids — escape velocity is never linked to rotation rates directly.
(E) Large asteroids persist after collisions — correct. Escape velocity explains why fragments stay and get reassembled.[/color][/color]
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