Reading comp PrepTest 141 · Section 1 · Question 3
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
The author asserts which
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
Science
Answer choices
-
AThe majority of such Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 33-36) The passage notes that these mutations's persistence isn't due to natural selection—not that the mutations don't persist (i.e., get passed down) through subsequent generations. -
BThe majority of such Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 55-56) First, this answer conflates the DNA/genetics paragraph with the paleontology paragraph. Second, even in that paragraph, it notes that the traits that allowed mammals to survive didn't evolve in response to the situation but before it. -
CThe majority of such Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 33-34) The passage notes that these mutations "often" change the attributes of a species. First, "often" isn't strong enough to support "majority." Second, attributes can include both behavior and appearance. -
DThe majority of such Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D matches the stem
Correct. Question Type:
Must Be True
Strategy Overview:
Head back to the relevant section and reread it to identify potential answers
Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
We should know that this question might be a little difficult because it's asking about genetics! However, it's asking for something that is "assert[ed]" in the passage, so we should be able to find the correct answer more or less directly stated there.
Also, a quick peek at the answers shows that they both talk about a majority of mutations of genetic material. This tells us we should be looking for information in the stimulus that reflects these answers—something that talks about a majority or most of such mutations. While looking at the answers before heading to the passage won't usually help, skimming over them to see if there's a structure or repetition to them can be helpful in narrowing down what needs to be found.
Looking at our notes, we can see that Paragraph 3 was about DNA and thus genetics. Heading there, we see a few mentions that line up with the "majority" in the answers.
Line 28 - Most mutations are neutral and nonadaptive
Line 31 - Most have no effect on reproductive success
Let's find an answer reflecting any of these details.
Answer Explanation:
(Lines 31-33) This answer restates what is said in Lines 31-33, so it's the correct answer.
Key Takeaway:
While it's not worthwhile to read the answers in a question like this before heading to the passage to find the relevant information, it can be helpful to quickly glance at them to see if there's a pattern to them. Sometimes, knowing that each answer is only 1-2 words or noting a pattern (such as each of them talking about a "majority" here) can be helpful in finding the relevant information. -
EThe majority of such Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. This answer, similar to (B), conflates information presented in Paragraphs 3 and 4.
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