Reading comp PrepTest 110 · Section 4 · Question 6

Passage

Questions 1-6  .        The okapi, a forest mammal of central Africa, has  . presented zoologists with a number of Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Science


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • The okapi, a forest mammal of central Africa, was difficult for scientists to classify when it was discovered in 1900.
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • In 1900, scientists first learned of the existence of the okapi (first sentence)
    • Question 1: how should the okapi be classified? (second sentence):
      • It was first classified as part of horse family b/c of physical similarities to horses and zebras (third sentence)
    • Answer: Now been classified as part giraffe family b/c of skin-covered horns in males, two-lobed canine teeth, and long prehensile tongue (fourth-fifth sentences)
    • Author’s attitude: “difficult problems” (first sentence); “first classified it” (third sentence); “rightful place” (fifth sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Okapis are not as rare as scientists thought at first, but they are very concentrated in a specific area.
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Question 2: how rare are okapis? (first sentence)
      • At first, okapis appeared rare because they were infrequently captured (second sentence)
    • Answer: In 1985, scientists began fixing radio transmitters to captured specimens, and learned okapis were not as rare as had been thought, but are very concentrated in forestland in northeastern central Africa (third-fourth sentences)
    • Author’s attitude: “others theorized” (second sentence); “reliable information” (third sentence); “extremely limited chain” (fourth sentence)

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Okapis seem rare because of their behavior: coloration allows for camouflage, they don’t travel in groups, and they graze individually deep in the interior of the forest.
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Coloration of okapis mean they camouflage themselves well, even at close range (first sentence)
    • Okapis don’t travel in groups or with other large mammals (second sentence)
    • Okapis don’t graze at border of forest or in clearings (second sentence)
      • Live on leaves only, of over 100 species, and eat only a bit of each plant before moving on to the next plant (third-fourth sentences)
      • Forage individually (fifth sentence)
    • Author’s attitude: “seeming scarcity” (first sentence); “unlike any other animal” (third sentence); “subsist entirely on leaves” (third sentence); “individual rather than congregated” (fifth sentence)

Paragraph 4

  • Paragraph note
    • Other questions about the okapi’s preference for the interior of forests and preference for certain forestlands over others remain unanswered.
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Unanswered question 1: why do okapis remain in interior of forests even when preferred plants are found in the borderland between forest and savanna? (second sentence)
      • Theory 1: defense against predators (third sentence)
      • Theory 2: competition with other large animals who graze borderlands of forest/savanna more efficiently (third sentence)
    • Unanswered question 2: why are okapis absent from nearby forest regions that would seem to be ideal? (fourth sentence)
      • Theory 1: okapis respect borders from a time when forestland was scarce (fifth sentence)
    • Author’s attitude: “prefer to remain” (second sentence); “pushed into the forest” (third sentence); “more efficiently” (third sentence); “would seem hospitable” (fourth sentence); “theorize” (fifth sentence); “relicts of an era” (fifth sentence)

Main Point: Through research into its habits and behavior, scientists have answered some questions about the elusive okapi’s taxonomic classification and population size, but other questions about its behavior and preferred habitat remain unanswered.

Key Lines?

Paragraph 1, Sentence 1 (P1 S1): Many questions have been raised about the okapi since its discovery in 1900.

P1 S4: Answer to first question (classification)

P2 S4: Answer to second question (size and concentration of population)

P3 S1-2: Reasons for seeming scarcity

P4 S3: Theories 1 and 2 about third question (remain in interior of forests)

P4 S5: Theory 1 about fourth question (why remain in certain forest areas and not others)

Meta-Structure?

Question/Answer: This passage uses a Question/Answer Meta-Structure. Four questions about the okapi are posed by the author, and two are answered during the course of the passage. The remaining two questions are stated and theories that have been formulated to answer them are presented. The author appears to tacitly endorse the answers that they present in the passage. The overall tone is that of an informational update rather than an argument, and the author doesn’t seem to choose between the theories that they present at the end of the passage regarding the questions that haven’t been answered. The main point is simply a summary of the answers to the four questions that the author presents.

Last Thoughts?

Like many explanatory science passages, this is a passage without a strong argument, written to convey information on an interesting but not-fully-studied subject. The presentation is organized and straightforward, and there are no tricky questions about tone or perspective to be answered, simply questions whose answers are well-supported by the passage.

Question prompt

Based on the passage, Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Science

Strategy Overview

Review the main point, and use notes or highlighted/underlined text in the passage to recall the author’s attitude, and find the answer that best reflects your understanding of the main point/author’s attitude.

Answer Anticipation

This question asks us about the author's view, but doesn't provide any insight into the topic of the correct answer or where the supporting information might show up in the passage. This means the correct answer is likely to relate back to the author's main point. As such, we'll need to rely on our big-picture understanding of the passage to answer this question. We should start by reminding ourselves of the main point (either by reviewing what we said after reading the passage or by rereading our answer to the main point question). We can also review any notes about the author's attitude or any text we highlighted because it expressed the author's opinion. After doing that, we can head to the answer choices, tabling those that don't line up with the main point. For those answer choices that conform to the author’s main point, we'll use our notes and the passage to see if it's correct.

Answer choices

  1. A
    The number of okapis Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) Is this answer choice in line with the author’s main point, and is it something we think the author would agree with?

    No. There is perhaps support for the statement that the okapi population is sizeably larger than zoologists previously believed it to be (P2 S4), but there is not enough support to say that the population is “many times larger” than previously believed. This is an overstatement.

  2. B
    Radio–tracking collars have enabled Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Is this answer choice in line with the author’s main point, and is it something we think the author would agree with?

    No. The passage states that the research gained from radio-collar tracking helped in answering the question of how rare the okapis were and where they lived (P2 S3-4), but it doesn’t say that this research helped to answer any of the other questions about the okapi. Besides, the fact that the passage states that “other questions about okapi behavior arise” (P4 S1), and that the author doesn’t answer these questions but only propounds theories, indicates that there are still unanswered questions about the okapi.

  3. C
    Okapis are captured infrequently Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem

    (C) Is this answer choice in line with the author’s main point, and is it something we think the author would agree with?

    Yes. This answer choice is well supported by the passage. Okapis are captured infrequently (P2 S2), their coloration means they are not easily found (P3 S1), and their habits include grazing by themselves deep in the interiors of forests (P3 S5, P3 S2). All the elements of this answer choice are corroborated by the information in the passage, and we can be confident this is the right answer.

  4. D
    Okapis are concentrated in Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) Is this answer choice in line with the author’s main point, and is it something we think the author would agree with?

    No. This information is directly contradicted by the passage. P3 S4 states that “okapis never eat one plant to the exclusion of others.”

  5. E
    The number of okapis Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) Is this answer choice in line with the author’s main point, and is it something we think the author would agree with?

    No. The passage states that okapis don’t forage in the border region because either they were outcompeted by other grazing animals in this region or because they are trying to protect themselves from predators (P4 S3). Because the author appears to tacitly endorse the theories stated in the passage, the author would believe that if okapis went into the border regions, they would either be in direct conflict with other large animals or lay themselves open to predation. These factors would tend to increase the stress on the okapi population rather than decrease it, and the population would be more likely to decrease rather than to increase.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 24%
  2. B 1%
  3. C Credited 71%
  4. D 2%
  5. E 2%

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