Reading comp PrepTest 141 · Section 1 · Question 2
Passage
Questions 1-7 . Charles Darwin objected to all attempts to reduce . his theory of evolution to its doctrine of
Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Science
Paragraph 1
Examples of DNA mutations and events from history show that the assumptions and implications of the Strict Constructionist Darwinists, who hold natural selection explains all traits and survival, are wrong.
Key Lines:
Lines 3-4 - The traditional view is noted
Lines 8-12 - The new view is described
Lines 16-22 - The Author rebuts the new view by showing a necessary implication of it to be false (counterexamples)
Lines 27-28 - The Author highlights new information calling into question a part of the new view
Lines 37-40 - The Author highlights analysis that calls into question a part of the new view
Meta-Structure:
Traditional vs. New View - Usually, the Author brings up a new view in order to advocate for it, but here, she instead undermines it. She uses examples in two different areas (genetics in Paragraph 3; paleontology in Paragraph 4) to show that individual elements of the new view are wrong (Paragraph 3 - their view on adaptations and reproductive success; Paragraph 4 - their view on adaptations and species survival).
Last Thoughts:
We expect that a good number of questions are going to rely on us distinguishing between the role and examples in Paragraphs 3 and 4. It's almost always key to know the role of each paragraph and the locations of examples, so having a strong understanding of these two paragraphs will be key.
Also, note that as introduced in the first paragraph, the SCD view focuses on two things—"aspect[s] of every species' form and behavior", and "the success or failure of species." Whenever there are multiple "parts" to a view, you should check to see if that ends up being reflected in the structure. Here, it would have been easy to miss that, while Paragraph 2 addresses the view as a whole, Paragraphs 3 and 4 each address an individual part of it. Paragraph 3 addresses the first part about form and behavior, and Paragraph 4 addresses the second part about survival. Noting this should make it easier to distinguish these two paragraphs as we work through the questions.
It's very common for a passage to break down an argument into constituent parts and then address them individually, though it doesn't always do so explicitly—in this case, it's not particularly explicit! But if you can find such a breakdown and structure to the passage, you'll be in very good shape for tackling the questions.
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- A theory is introduced, and a new interpretation at odds with the original
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Darwin - Natural selection is the primary but not only driver of evolution
- Strict Constructionist Darwinists (SCD) - Natural selection explains 1) all attributes, and 2) survival
- Paragraph note
- An implication of the new interpretation is shown to be wrong
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Natural selection - adaptations to environment to reproduce more
- If SCDs are right, then all traits/survival due to adaptations
- Nature has many examples where that's not the case
- Paragraph note
- Examples - DNA/traits (rebuts SCD view #1)
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Neutral, nonadaptive changes that persist and change traits but don't affect reproduction
- Paragraph note
- Examples - Survival/traits (rebuts SCD view #2)
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Dinosaurs/mammals during meteorite strike - former died out and latter survived based on traits they had
- Example of survival based on "dumb luck," not adaptation
Examples of DNA mutations and events from history show that the assumptions and implications of the Strict Constructionist Darwinists, who hold natural selection explains all traits and survival, are wrong.
Key Lines:
Lines 3-4 - The traditional view is noted
Lines 8-12 - The new view is described
Lines 16-22 - The Author rebuts the new view by showing a necessary implication of it to be false (counterexamples)
Lines 27-28 - The Author highlights new information calling into question a part of the new view
Lines 37-40 - The Author highlights analysis that calls into question a part of the new view
Meta-Structure:
Traditional vs. New View - Usually, the Author brings up a new view in order to advocate for it, but here, she instead undermines it. She uses examples in two different areas (genetics in Paragraph 3; paleontology in Paragraph 4) to show that individual elements of the new view are wrong (Paragraph 3 - their view on adaptations and reproductive success; Paragraph 4 - their view on adaptations and species survival).
Last Thoughts:
We expect that a good number of questions are going to rely on us distinguishing between the role and examples in Paragraphs 3 and 4. It's almost always key to know the role of each paragraph and the locations of examples, so having a strong understanding of these two paragraphs will be key.
Also, note that as introduced in the first paragraph, the SCD view focuses on two things—"aspect[s] of every species' form and behavior", and "the success or failure of species." Whenever there are multiple "parts" to a view, you should check to see if that ends up being reflected in the structure. Here, it would have been easy to miss that, while Paragraph 2 addresses the view as a whole, Paragraphs 3 and 4 each address an individual part of it. Paragraph 3 addresses the first part about form and behavior, and Paragraph 4 addresses the second part about survival. Noting this should make it easier to distinguish these two paragraphs as we work through the questions.
It's very common for a passage to break down an argument into constituent parts and then address them individually, though it doesn't always do so explicitly—in this case, it's not particularly explicit! But if you can find such a breakdown and structure to the passage, you'll be in very good shape for tackling the questions.
Question prompt
According to the author,
Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right
Credited answer: B
The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.
Question Type
Science
Answer choices
-
Ahad adapted previously to Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 44-45) The passage talks about the changes that we'd expect to follow from such an event, but it doesn't mention other, similar events in the past, so this answer is incorrect. -
Bwere relatively small
Why choice B matches the stem
Correct. Question Type:
Must Be True
Strategy Overview:
Head back to the relevant section and find the answer to this question
Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
Counter/examples that show up in RC usually show up in the questions as well, which is why we note them in the passage with a few words to let us find them. Here, we should have made a note in Paragraph 4 that there was an example dealing with dinosaurs and mammals.
Heading to that paragraph, we see that the mammals were able to survive the impact because "[s]maller animal[s]" are better able to survive such changes (Lines 43-44), and mammals of the time were quite small (Line 46). Thus, let's find an answer stating that they were able to survive because they were small.
Answer Explanation:
(Lines 43-46) When discussing the environmental changes, the passage attributes the survival of mammals to their small size, making this the correct answer.
Key Takeaway:
Always note examples! Be sure that your understanding of the paragraph allows you to know what it's an example of, and that you have a word or two with your note (something like "Ex. Dinos/mammals" here) so you can quickly find it when a question asks about it. -
Cwere highly intelligent
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. (Line 57) There's no mention of intelligence in the last paragraph. The closest we get is when it mentions "dumb" luck, but that's not speaking to the intelligence of the mammals. -
Dlived in a wide Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D is not credited
Incorrect. (Line 44) The passage notes that what needs to be explained is the ability to survive the "catastrophic changes in climate" (Line 44), but it doesn't tie the survival of mammals through this to them living in a wide range of environments. While this answer is connected to environmental changes, the passage itself doesn't make the connection. -
Ewere able to reproduce Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. There's no mention of reproduction speed in the passage, so this answer is out of scope.
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