Pheromones

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Pheromones

by zagcollins » Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:05 am
There is no consensus among
researchers regarding what qualifies a
substance as a pheromone. While most
agree on a basic definition of pheromones
(5) as chemicals released by one individual
of a species which, when detected by
another individual of the same species,
elicit a specific behavioral or physiological
response, some researchers also specify
(10) that the response to pheromones must be
unconscious. In addition, the distinction
between pheromones and odorants—
chemicals that are consciously detected
as odors---can be blurry, and some
(15) researchers classify pheromones as a
type of odorant. Evidence that pheromone
responses may not involve conscious odor
perception comes from the finding that in
many species, pheromones are processed
(20) by the vomeronasal (or accessory olfactory)
system, which uses a special structure in
the nose, the vomeronasal organ (VNO),
to receive chemical signals. The neural
connections between the VNO and the
(25) brain are separate from those of the main
olfactory system, whose processing of
odorants triggers sensations of smell. But
while the VNO does process many animal
pheromone signals, not all animal phero-
(30) mones work through the VNO. Conversely,
not all chemical signals transmitted via the
VNO quality as pheromones. For example,
garter snakes detect a chemical signal from
earthworms—one of their favorite foods—via
(35) the VNO, and they use this signal to track
their prey.

Q1.It can be inferred from the passage thatin classifying pheromones as a type of odorant, the researchers referred to in line 15 posit that

A. pheromones are perceived consciously
B. most pheromones are processed by the VNO
C. most chemical signals processed by the VNO are pheromones
D. Pheromone perception does not occur exclusively between members of the same species.
E. pheromones do not always elicit a specific behavioral or physiological response

Q2. According to the passage, the fact that pheromones are processed by the VNO in many animal species has been taken as evidence of which of the following?
A. The accessory and main olfactory systems are not separate
B. Odorants and pheromones are not distinct types of chemicals.
C. Odorants and pheromones both elicit a specific behavioral response.
D. Pheromones do not trigger conscious sensations of smell.
E. Pheromones aid animals in tracking prey.

Q3. The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. compare and contrast the ways in which the vomeronasal organ
and the main olfactory systern process chemicals.
B. summarize the debate over the role the vomeronasal organ plays in odor perception
C. present some of the issues involved in the debate over what constitutes a pheromone
D. propose a new definition of pheromones based on recent research
E. argue that pheromones should be classified as a type of odorant

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by reachac » Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:12 am
A
D
C

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by zagcollins » Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:52 pm
OA is ADE

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by Melba20 » Tue Jul 19, 2011 9:38 pm
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pheromones

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by finance » Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:43 am
zagcollins wrote:OA is ADE
Can someone please explain? AT least for the third question I was sure that it should be C.

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by Ozlemg » Tue Jul 26, 2011 2:08 am
3rd question. my answer was C, too. Where do we get that the author argues? Most of the passage, IMO, he is "presents" rather than "argues".

Could someone elaborate 2.nd Q,too?
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by killer1387 » Thu Aug 18, 2011 6:33 am
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by bblast » Wed Aug 24, 2011 7:09 am
Ozlemg wrote:3rd question. my answer was C, too. Where do we get that the author argues? Most of the passage, IMO, he is "presents" rather than "argues".

Could someone elaborate 2.nd Q,too?
Hi, The answer posted here is incorrect, answer to 3rd question is indeed C. this is from prep-1
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by Anaira Mitch » Tue Jul 04, 2017 7:07 am
1)"in classifying pheromones as a type of odorant, ..."
"In addition, the distinction between pheromones and odorants- chemicals that are consciously detected
as odors---can be blurry, and some researchers classify pheromones as a type of odorant".
"This means you have to say what they're implying by referring to pheromones as "odorants". any other fact about pheromones is irrelevant".
The passage only tells you one thing about "odorants": they're consciously perceived as odors. so, you need to pick the choice that corresponds to that idea.
2)this is a type of question wherein we don't need to attack each choice. All you have to do is know what you learned from the passage before you go dive into the choices. We know that the VNO is an evidence against the claim that pheromones are odorant by showing that this system is separate from the system used for the sensation of smell. With this in mind, then go to look for that in the choices.
A is wrong. This is about proving or disproving something about pheromones.
B is wrong. VNO proves that they are distinct from each other.
C is wrong. VNO evidence is not about response or eliciting behavior, it's about the sensation of smell using a different organ.
D is the answer. It is obvious. bingo!
E is a trap. The VNO used to track prey refers to a non-pheromone. Read last sentence.
3)by the way-the best way to get to the point quickly is to imagine a conversation in which someone is presenting the same information. (it helps to be a nerd, since nerds tend to talk about random stuff like what's in the passages.)
here's the first sentence:
"There is no consensus among researchers regarding what qualifies a substance as a pheromone."
in other words... People don't agree on what 'pheromone' means.
if someone said this, what would come next?
you know what would come next-there would be at least some discussion about the different ways in which people try to define this word. Hence C.