PrepTest 154, Section 2, Question 11
A part of the brain called the amygdala(44 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AExtreme fear is(18 more words not shown)
- BSensing fear is(8 more words not shown)
- CUrbach-Wiethe disease is(9 more words not shown)
- DThe amygdala is(14 more words not shown)
- EThe amygdala is(14 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Apparently, losing the amygdala doesn't mean losing every way to feel fear. The first two sentences establish an important connection. The amygdala is involved in sensing fear, and people with a disease that destroys it generally don't experience fear. We might initially think of fears such as snakes, spiders, or heights, although the passage doesn't tell us exactly which experiences these people lose.
Then comes the exception we need to notice. Give these people a breath with a very high level of carbon dioxide, and they experience extreme fear. Some people with normal amygdalae have that response too. So this particular fear response can occur even when the amygdala has been destroyed.
What we’re looking for
The question asks what is most strongly supported. I'd expect a limited conclusion: the amygdala plays an important role in fear, but it isn't the only part of the brain that can be involved. We don't know the name of another part or exactly how this response works. We just need to follow what the observed exception shows.
Working the answers
- A
The passage describes extreme fear in response to high carbon dioxide. It doesn't describe any other intense response. Perhaps there are others, but we can't fill in a bodily reaction just because it sounds plausible. We need support in the information provided.
- B
The amygdala might have other functions, but none are mentioned here. The exception concerns fear occurring without the amygdala, not the amygdala doing something besides sensing fear. Keep those two different claims separate.
- C
We learn about one disease that destroys the amygdala. That doesn't establish either that it is the only such disease or that other diseases can do the same thing. C adds medical information the passage never supplies.
- D
The passage identifies the amygdala as something Urbach-Wiethe disease destroys. It doesn't say what other parts of the brain the disease affects. The continued fear response doesn't show that some additional brain area has been affected by the disease.
- ECorrect
These people can still sense extreme fear after the amygdala has been destroyed. That supports the conclusion that another part of the brain can be involved in sensing fear. E doesn't deny the amygdala's usual role or claim that the disease has no effect. It accounts for the important fact that the loss of this one part doesn't eliminate every fear response.
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