Reading comp PrepTest 147 · Section 2 · Question 7

Passage

Passage A  Muscle memory is a puzzling phenomenon.Most bodybuilders have experienced this phenomenon, yet virtually no discussions of it have Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Science


Passage A

Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Phenomenon introduced (easier for bodybuilders to increase muscle size when training a second time)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Comparision, according to the author/bodybuilders:
      • People who are retraining after getting out of shape regain strength faster (third sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "puzzling" (first sentence); "some plausible explanation must exist" (last sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • One explanation (body retains muscle fibers to help lift weights)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Comparisons:
      • The more weight a bodybuilder lifts, a greater amount of neurons and muscle fibers are used (third sentence)
      • As bodybuilders train, their bodies may learn to use more neurons and muscle fibers when lifting the heaviest weights (fifth sentence)
      • Even when bodybuilders stop training, their bodies may remember how to utilize the greater number of neurons and muscle fibers (sixth and seventh sentences)
    • Cause-and-effect relationship:
      • Bodybuilders' muscles' greater ability to use neurons and muscle fibers cause them to progress faster when retraining (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "potential explanation" (first sentence); "well established" (second sentence); "could be" (fifth sentence); "may remain" (sixth sentence)

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Another explanation (bodybuilders know what they can lift so they add weight more quickly)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Comparisons:
      • The first time bodybuilders train they don't know how much they can lift and add weight slowly; they know what they can lift when retraining and add weight quickly (second through fourth sentences)
    • Cause-and-effect relationship:
      • Adding weights more quickly causes bodybuilders to progress faster when retraining (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "also possible" (first sentence); "could" (first sentence)

Passage B

Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Phenomenon introduced (easier to increase muscle size after being fit) and explanation previewed (muscles retain trait from old training)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Intersection with passage A:
      • The same phenomenon discussed (muscle memory/faster muscle growth when retraining)
    • Comparisons:
      • It's easier to increase muscle size after already being fit (first sentence)
    • Cause-and-effect relationship, according to previous research:
      • Muscle cells merge with adjacent stem cells and incorporate nuclei from stem cells, which causes cells to get bigger (third and fourth sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "think they know" (first sentence); "demonstrated" (third sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Explanation (muscle cells retain nuclei of stem cells)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Intersection with passage A:
      • The explanation advanced is different than either of passage A's explanations
    • Comparison, according to study:
      • Even after disuse and decreased muscle size, the number of nuclei in lab mice's leg muscle cells stayed the same (third sentence)
    • Possible cause-and-effect relationship, according to the author:
      • The extra nuclei could be ready to make protein/provide strength, which could cause muscles to increase in size more rapidly (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "could be" (last sentence)

Main Points?

Passage A: The muscle memory phenomenon — where athletes have an easier time regaining muscle/strength — could plausibly have a physical (neurons) or mental (knowing what weight you can lift) explanation.

Passage B: Scientists believe muscle memory is explained by the retention of extra nuclei in muscle cells after they gain strength, even after those muscles atrophy from disuse.

Key Lines?

Passage A:

Paragraph 1, Sentence 4 (P1, S4) - A phenomenon is introduced

P2, S1 - One potential explanation is described

P3, S1 - Another potential explanation is described

Passage B:

P1, S1 - A phenomenon is noted, and an explanation is previewed

P2, S4 - The explanation is described

Meta-Structure? Relationship Between Passages?

Relationship - Opposing Viewpoints: Neither author completely commits to any of the explanations advanced in the passages, so it's a bit of a stretch to say these authors have "opposing viewpoints." Still, the authors discuss different explanations for the same phenomenon. Passage A's author suggests that either muscle cells' ability to utilize more muscle fibers or mental confidence could explain muscle memory. Passage B's author suggests muscle cells' retention of extra nuclei from stem cells could explain muscle memory. These are distinct explanations, so the best description of the overall relationship between these passages is "opposing viewpoints."

Meta-Structure - Phenomenon/Explanation: Both passages deal with the same phenomenon: muscle memory. And both passages treat it as an actual phenomenon that warrants explanation. Passage A presents two potential explanations, but the author never sides with one over the other. (In fact, both explanations could contribute to the phenomenon) Passage B, on the other hand, presents an explanation that seems to be the current consensus view among scientists (Lines 39-40). In general, the Author's preferred explanation is the passage's main point. Here, however, the author doesn't take sides in Passage A, presenting both explanations as plausible; and the Author of Passage B presents the explanation as what scientists currently think — language that doesn't commit the author to that explanation.

Last Thoughts?

These passages agree on the reality of a phenomenon, but they both put forward different explanations, and neither author commits to the explanation they put forward (though Passage B's author seems closer to doing so than Passage A's). Let's keep that in mind as we work through the questions.

Also, passage A speaks in the second person, addressing the audience as "you." Whenever a passage isn't in the third-person — either because it is in first-person ("I…") or, less commonly, second-person ("You…") — that tends to show up in a question or two.

Question prompt

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

Credited answer: E

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

Question Type

Science

Strategy Overview

Remind ourselves of the general relationship between the passages, and both passages' main points, then head to the answers, using our notes/the passage to find the answer choice that appears in passage B but not A].

Answer Anticipation

This question stem asks us to find the detail that appears in passage B but not A. However, it doesn't give us much else to go off of. It provides no indication as to the topic of the correct answer or where it'll show up in passage B. 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 relationship between the two passages, as that will sometimes reveal a potential difference. We should also remind ourselves of the main point of both passages.From there, we can head to the answer choices. If something in an answer choice doesn't seem familiar, we shouldn't check the passage to see if it was mentioned in one but not the other. Instead, we'll table it and move on to the next answer choice. If something seems inconsistent with the main point of passage B or something that we know appeared in passage A, we can eliminate it. If something seems familiar and consistent with the main point of passage B, we'll use our notes/highlights/underlines to find the part of the passage that proves the answer choice must be true. We'll also need to confirm that this detail was not present in passage A. We can use the main point of passage A for this confirmation. If we can find this confirmation, we'll select that answer choice and move on.Let's get to work!

Answer choices

  1. A
    the condition of a Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) Does this seem consistent with the main point of passage B but not related to the main point of passage A?

    Not really. Since both passages are about muscle memory — regaining strength quickly during retraining — it's likely that this is mentioned in both passages. We should therefore table or eliminate this answer choice and move on.

    If we did need to review the passage, we'd find that this was discussed in the middle of Paragraph 2 of passage A, giving us another reason to eliminate it.

  2. B
    muscles' adaptation to exercise
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Does this seem consistent with the main point of passage B but not related to the main point of passage A?

    No. Similar to (A), both passages discuss physiological aspects of exercise, so this answer likely shows up in both passages. We should therefore table or eliminate this answer choice and move on.

    If we did need to review the passage, we'd find that this was discussed in paragraph 2 of passage A, giving us more reason to eliminate it.

  3. C
    the percentage of muscle Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) Does this seem consistent with the main point of passage B but not related to the main point of passage A?

    Nope. Passage B's explanation brought up muscle cells and nuclei, but it didn't really get into percentages or muscle fibers. And muscle fibers were a component of passage A's main point. Therefore, we can eliminate this.

  4. D
    the prevalence of discussions Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) Does this seem consistent with the main point of passage B but not related to the main point of passage A?

    Not really. Although passage B's main point relies on one scientific study of muscle memory, it doesn't relate to the prevalence of this topic in scientific publications generally. Therefore, we can table or eliminate this answer choice and access the remaining.

    If we needed to review the passage to eliminate (E), we'd find that passage A starts with a note that there is virtually no discussion of muscle memory in scientific publications. So this definitely a topic explicitly mentioned in passage A.

  5. E
    the large amounts of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem

    (E) Does this seem consistent with the main point of passage B but not related to the main point of passage A?

    This is related to the main point of passage B. Passage B discusses how muscles work — it's one of the things we focused on when determining the audience the passage targets. Checking that section, we can see that protein and muscle strength was brought up in Lines 43-44.

    Passage A, on the other hand, doesn't discuss protein or how it leads to strength. That's harder to check — you'd have to go through the entire passage — but we've eliminated all other answers. And, on top of that, we know that Passage A's physiological explanation deals with neurons, not protein, making us feel more comfortable picking this answer.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 10%
  2. B 4%
  3. C 6%
  4. D 13%
  5. E Credited 66%

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