Reading comp PrepTest 124 · Section 4 · Question 19

Passage

The passages discuss relationships between business interests and university research . Questions 15-19 Passage A  .        As university researchers Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Social Science


Passage A

Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Author identifies herself; discusses tradition; contrasts with recent trend
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Author - First-person - Researcher at university
    • Tradition - University researchers share ideas, which are public good
    • New trend - Commodify research ($$$)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Comparing Universities and Market - New ideas
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • University - Uniquely suited to new ideas
    • Market - Quick returns and risk aversion = not equipped for new ideas or replacing disproven theories

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Downside to market - Burying discoveries
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Entrepreneurs - Not interested in intellectual adventures - Bury discoveries if it makes them money
    • Consequence/Example - New drugs, but less sharing of methods/results (Biotech)

Paragraph 4

  • Paragraph note
    • Wrap-up
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Author worries about future of science

Passage B

Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Prior view (“were once”)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Scientific discoveries a public good because funded by government grants to universities

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • New view; example; consequence
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • New view - Scientific discoveries are marketable good
    • Example - Cells/genes used to make money (Biotech)
    • Consequence - Legal claims to intellectual property are important

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Blurring of lines between previously distinguished things
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Distinction - Discovery (no patent) vs. Invention (patent)
    • Now, legal and moral lines blurred

Paragraph 4

  • Paragraph note
    • Industry’s argument
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Industry - If we fund it, we should be able to make money on it

Main Points:

Passage A - University research has shifted from a collegial environment to a market-driven one, which is ill-suited to new ideas and academic adventure, threatening the future of scientific research.

Passage B - The shift of scientific discoveries from public good to market commodity has blurred the line between what is/should be and isn’t/shouldn’t be patented, with Industry arguing that their investments should pay off.

Key Lines?

Passage A:

  • Lines 1-6 - The traditional situation, and a recent trend that is threatening
  • Lines 7-12 - A difference between universities and markets
  • Lines 21-23 - A downside of the recent trend
  • Lines 29-31 - The Author outlines her fears

Passage B:

  • Lines 32-33 - The old view
  • Lines 38-41 - The new view
  • Line 41 - An example is introduced
  • Lines 45-48 - Consequence of new view
  • Lines 55-58 - A previous distinction now has its lines blurred
  • Lines 59-62 - Industry makes an argument

Meta-Structure? Relationship Between Passages?

Both passages discuss scientific research in universities, and how discoveries are treated - either as a public good or a private commodity. However, there’s a big difference in the opinions stated in the two passages. Passage A is written by a researcher who feels the trend towards treating these discoveries as market-based commodities is worrisome, while the Author of Passage B doesn’t really stake out an argument or position - the only viewpoint presented there is that of Industry.

Last Thoughts?

There’s such an extreme difference between the two passages in opinion, with the Author from Passage A staking out such a strong view on the situation while the Author of Passage B remains largely neutral. It’s striking, and it should influence how we approach questions about the two. Let’s be sure that the very different opinions (and the strengths of those opinions) is a top consideration when we’re looking at answer choices.

Question prompt

Which one of the Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: D

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

Question Type

Social Science

Strategy Overview

Review the big-picture notes for each passage (main point; role of each paragraph), then hop straight into the answer choices

Answer Anticipation

This question stem provides no indication as to the topic of the correct answer or where it’ll show up in the passages, other than that it will be present in both. But both passages largely spoke about the same subjects, albeit with details differing. As such, we’ll need to rely on our big-picture understanding of the passages to answer this question. With that information in mind, we should head straight to the answer choices.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Many scientific researchers who Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) While both passages mention universities and biotechnology companies, neither speaks to a shift of researchers from one to the other.

  2. B
    Private biotechnology companies have Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) (Line 29) Passage A mentions patents only in relation to the lawyers that researchers run to after making a discovery. And Passage B brings up the distinctions and morality surrounding patents, but it never claims that any patents are invalid.

  3. C
    Because of the nature Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) (Line 29) Similar to (B), Passage A doesn’t speak to patent authorities (other than patent lawyers, and in another context). We also know from multiple earlier questions that it also doesn’t talk about the distinction between discoveries and inventions. This answer does arguably show up in Passage B, though, in Paragraph 3 (though it seems to be more the Author’s view than patent authorities).

  4. D
    In the past, scientists Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D matches the stem

    (D) (Lines 1-3; Lines 21-24; Lines 26-28; Lines 32-34) Throughout Passage A, the Author keeps talking about research as a public good available to others. She opens the passage talking about university research as featuring a “collegial sharing of ideas.” She spends time talking about how a shift to a market focus has “been accompanied by a reduction in the free sharing of research,” and she ends by talking about researchers no longer excitedly sharing results with colleagues. While she certainly focuses on the intra-university community, she uses expansive language about the free sharing of research results which would include with industry scientists. And Passage B’s opening line states that the fruits of research were once considered a public good “available for society as a whole,” which would include scientists working in industry. This answer is therefore correct.

  5. E
    Government–funded research in universities Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) (Lines 34-37) Passage A doesn’t talk about government-funded research in universities, and Passage B doesn’t tie it to goals of the private industry, so this answer is out of scope of both.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 6%
  2. B 7%
  3. C 11%
  4. D Credited 75%
  5. E 2%

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