PrepTest 141, Section 1, Question 6
Charles Darwin objected to all attempts to reduce(440 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(14 more words not shown)
- AIt outlines the(15 more words not shown)
- BIt lists recent(14 more words not shown)
- CIt describes the(23 more words not shown)
- DIt enumerates the(14 more words not shown)
- EIt explains the(17 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The second paragraph gets us ready to understand the evidence. It explains adaptation, then asks what would follow if the strict constructionists were right: every persistent attribute and every species' survival would have to be explained through adaptation. It then tells us that nature contains counterexamples.
What we’re looking for
The detailed genetics and extinction examples come afterward. So the paragraph's job is to spell out what the theory commits us to and why the coming evidence would challenge it.
Working the answers
- A
The paragraph doesn't list strict constructionists' objections to traditional evolutionary theory. It explains their own claim and its implications.
- B
It announces that counterexamples exist, but it doesn't list the specific scientific evidence. Those examples occupy the next two paragraphs. B mistakes the setup for the evidence itself.
- C
This shifts the purpose to explaining why evidence is attracting attention. The author is explaining why it matters to the argument, not why scientists or the public have noticed it.
- D
We don't get a list of arguments supporting the strict constructionists. We get the consequences of accepting their position, followed by a statement that nature doesn't fit those consequences.
- ECorrect
“Ramifications” means what follows from their claim. Once we see that their theory requires every outcome to reflect adaptation, we can see why neutral mutations and survival through luck are relevant counterexamples.
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