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RC Passage - Princeton

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rashmi.kaushal Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
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RC Passage - Princeton Post Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:24 am
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  • Lap #[LAPCOUNT] ([LAPTIME])
    Editor's note: The Princeton Review update as of August 2010

    Get The Princeton Review discounts: Latest The Princeton Review Course promo codes http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/partners/the-princeton-review-gmat-discount

    ---------



    1 Researchers of prebiotic chemical
    reactions have been testing the theory
    that early life could have come about
    through RNA alone, gradually giving
    5 way to a world in which RNA and DNA
    work together.
    Experiments conducted in 1983
    showed that RNA molecules can split
    themselves and recombine in new
    10 arrangements, leading to the conclusion
    that life could have begun without
    naturally occurring complex protein
    enzymes. That the protein could be
    formed by the elements at hand was
    15 demonstrated as early as 1953, in an
    experiment by Drs. Urey and Miller.
    They filled a sealed flask with
    substances considered to have been
    plentiful in the earth’s prebiotic state-
    20 methane, ammonia, water vapor,
    hydrogen, and carbon dioxide-and
    subjected the mixture to simulated
    lightning strikes. Within weeks the
    mixture contained the amino acids
    25 necessary to build proteins. By
    experimenting further, Dr. Miller was
    able to create 13 of the 20 amino acids
    necessary for life.
    The RNA theory was then generally
    30 accepted by most biologists, but the
    question remained: how could RNA
    exist without its requisite precursors,
    cytosine and uracil? This problem now
    appears to have been solved, again by
    35 Dr. Miller. He postulates that both
    substances could have been produced
    in the prebiotic ocean through a process
    that entails the evaporation of sea
    water, the freezing of sea water in the
    40 polar ice caps, and the mixing of the two
    in the ocean.

    According to the passage, which of the following is true of the experiment performed by Drs. Urey and Miller in 1953?

    A)RNA was fabricated out of simple prebiotic substances.
    B)More than one dozen significant amino acids were synthesized.
    C)The experiment took several weeks to complete.
    D)Cytosine and uracil formed in the sealed beaker.
    E)The experiment was conducted in a flask filled with protein enzymes.

    What should be the correct Answer ? Why is not B ?
    C

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    Prashantbhardwaj Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
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    Post Fri Aug 13, 2010 3:51 am
    Not B because it has been stated ahead in the passage that the 13 amino acids were produced by further experimentation, not in the same experiment.

    kvcpk GMAT Titan
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    Post Fri Aug 13, 2010 5:24 am
    I gave this test today and got the same doubt. I chose A for this. Sad
    I dont agree with C as OA here.
    I was about to post and you posted ahead of me Smile

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    selango GMAT Titan
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    Post Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:26 am
    "The protein could be formed by the elements at hand was demonstrated as early as 1953, in an experiment by Drs. Urey and Miller"

    1.They filled a sealed flask with substances considered to have been plentiful in the earth’s prebiotic state.

    2.Within weeks the mixture contained the amino acids 25 necessary to build proteins.

    Amino acids not proteins fabricated out of prebiotic substances.

    By experimenting further, Dr. Miller was able to create 13 of the 20 amino acids necessary for life.

    In further experiment only amino acids were synthesized.Not in the same experiment by Drs. Urey and Miller

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    kvcpk GMAT Titan
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    Post Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:36 am
    selango wrote:
    "The protein could be formed by the elements at hand was demonstrated as early as 1953, in an experiment by Drs. Urey and Miller"

    1.They filled a sealed flask with substances considered to have been plentiful in the earth’s prebiotic state.

    2.Within weeks the mixture contained the amino acids 25 necessary to build proteins.

    Amino acids not proteins fabricated out of prebiotic substances.

    By experimenting further, Dr. Miller was able to create 13 of the 20 amino acids necessary for life.

    In further experiment only amino acids were synthesized.Not in the same experiment by Drs. Urey and Miller
    I didnt get you Anand. You were supporting C??

    If so my question is
    When the passage says "with in weeks....."

    How can the right answer say it took several weeks?

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    People who work sincerely are the happiest."
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    selango GMAT Titan
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    Post Fri Aug 13, 2010 9:40 am
    Praveen,

    I am also not convenient with C.But C seems to better than other options.

    Options A and B are not correct as I mentioned in the previous post.

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    Post Fri Aug 13, 2010 11:17 am
    Researchers of prebiotic chemical
    reactions have been testing the theory
    that early life could have come about
    through RNA alone, gradually giving
    5 way to a world in which RNA and DNA
    work together.
    Experiments conducted in 1983
    showed that RNA molecules can split
    themselves and recombine in new
    10 arrangements, leading to the conclusion
    that life could have begun without
    naturally occurring complex protein
    enzymes. That the protein could be
    formed by the elements at hand was
    15 demonstrated as early as 1953, in an
    experiment by Drs. Urey and Miller.
    They filled a sealed flask with
    substances considered to have been
    plentiful in the earth’s prebiotic state-
    20 methane, ammonia, water vapor,
    hydrogen, and carbon dioxide-and
    subjected the mixture to simulated
    lightning strikes. Within weeks the
    mixture contained the amino acids
    25 necessary to build proteins.     By
    experimenting further, Dr. Miller was
    able to create 13 of the 20 amino acids
    necessary for life.
    The RNA theory was then generally
    30 accepted by most biologists, but the
    question remained: how could RNA
    exist without its requisite precursors,
    cytosine and uracil? This problem now
    appears to have been solved, again by
    35 Dr. Miller. He postulates that both
    substances could have been produced
    in the prebiotic ocean through a process
    that entails the evaporation of sea
    water, the freezing of sea water in the
    40 polar ice caps, and the mixing of the two
    in the ocean.

    According to the passage, which of the following is true of the experiment performed by Drs. Urey and Miller in 1953?

    A)RNA was fabricated out of simple prebiotic substances. No. The highlighted portion doesn't say that they fabricated RNA itself; it says only that the mixture contained the elements necessary to build proteins.
    B)More than one dozen significant amino acids were synthesized. No. This was done by Dr. Miller alone upon further experimentation.
    C)The experiment took several weeks to complete. Correct. The highlighted portion says that within weeks the mixture contained the amino acids, so the experiment took more than 1 week.
    D)Cytosine and uracil formed in the sealed beaker. No. Cytosine and uracil are not discussed in the highlighted portion.
    E)The experiment was conducted in a flask filled with protein enzymes. No. Protein enzymes are not mentioned in the highlighted portion.

    A word of advice:

    The best way to ensure that you have found the correct answer is to point to the lines in the passage that support your answer choice. If you can't point to the exact words in the passage that support your answer choice, the answer choice is probably not correct.

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    kvcpk GMAT Titan
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    Post Fri Aug 13, 2010 4:13 pm
    GMATGuruNY wrote:
    C)The experiment took several weeks to complete. Correct. The highlighted portion says that within weeks the mixture contained the amino acids, so the experiment took more than 1 week.
    Thanks for your response Mitch. However, I am still unable to believe answer is C.

    Option C says that the experiment took several weeks to complete. Intended meaning of option C is way too many weeks.

    The passage says within weeks the mixture contained...
    intended meaning in the passage is that it did not take too many weeks(For example, it did not take months)

    Though the other options are not close, I believe this option is equally bad. I eliminated it as opposite answer.

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    People who work sincerely are the happiest."
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    Post Fri Aug 13, 2010 5:43 pm
    kvcpk wrote:
    GMATGuruNY wrote:
    C)The experiment took several weeks to complete. Correct. The highlighted portion says that within weeks the mixture contained the amino acids, so the experiment took more than 1 week.
    Thanks for your response Mitch. However, I am still unable to believe answer is C.

    Option C says that the experiment took several weeks to complete. Intended meaning of option C is way too many weeks.

    The passage says within weeks the mixture contained...
    intended meaning in the passage is that it did not take too many weeks(For example, it did not take months)

    Though the other options are not close, I believe this option is equally bad. I eliminated it as opposite answer.
    Be careful with RC. Don't interpret; just read and comprehend. The correct answer choice has to be justified by the actual words used, not by what someone might interpret. What if your interpretation is different from mine?

    Passage: Within weeks the mixture contained the amino acids 25 necessary to build proteins.
    Answer choice C:The experiment took several weeks to complete.

    Within weeks means more than 1 week.
    Several means an indefinite, small number. It does not mean that the experiment took longer than had been expected. While we might like to interpret the answer choice this way, such an interpretation goes beyond what the words actually say.

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    maddy2u Rising GMAT Star
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    Post Mon Dec 20, 2010 10:16 am
    IMO C

    tgou008 Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
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    Post Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:04 am
    This was quite a tough onep; normally I can narrow it down to at least 2 answers, but here none of them except C are quite right and even C while that was my final answer 'felt odd' so I found myself re-reading the passage and possible answers over again; wasting time!

    But ultimately C is the only one I couldn't eliminate based off the contents of the passage.

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    Post Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:23 pm
    Tricky one but C makes the most sense to me. Good expln. there by GMATGuruNY.

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    Post Thu Feb 24, 2011 3:22 pm
    1 more to C

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    Post Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:51 am
    IMHO its C.
    Here's why:

    A) RNA was fabricated out of simple prebiotic substances.

    We don't know whether the prebiotic substances were simple.
    All we know from the passage is that RNA was fabricated out of prebiotic substances in the experiment.

    B) More than one dozen significant amino acids were synthesized.

    13 amino acids were synthesized in all i.e. a few during the experiment, and few after further experimenting but not in the same experiment. Moreover, we also don't know whether these 13 were the significant ones among the 20 necessary for life.

    C) The experiment took several weeks to complete.

    Bingo. mentioned clearly in the passage.

    D) Cytosine and uracil formed in the sealed beaker.

    No mention of this.

    E) The experiment was conducted in a flask filled with protein enzymes.

    In fact the experiment was conducted to show the formation of these enzymes and amino acids.

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    Post Sun Aug 21, 2011 9:17 am
    rashmi.kaushal wrote:
    1 Researchers of prebiotic chemical
    reactions have been testing the theory
    that early life could have come about
    through RNA alone, gradually giving
    5 way to a world in which RNA and DNA
    work together.
    Experiments conducted in 1983
    showed that RNA molecules can split
    themselves and recombine in new
    10 arrangements, leading to the conclusion
    that life could have begun without
    naturally occurring complex protein
    enzymes. That the protein could be
    formed by the elements at hand was
    15 demonstrated as early as 1953    , in an
    experiment by Drs. Urey and Miller.
    They filled a sealed flask with
    substances considered to have been
    plentiful in the earth’s prebiotic state-
    20 methane, ammonia, water vapor,
    hydrogen, and carbon dioxide-and
    subjected the mixture to simulated
    lightning strikes. Within weeks the
    mixture contained the amino acids
    25 necessary to build proteins    . By
    experimenting further, Dr. Miller was
    able to create 13 of the 20 amino acids
    necessary for life.
    The RNA theory was then generally
    30 accepted by most biologists, but the
    question remained: how could RNA
    exist without its requisite precursors,
    cytosine and uracil? This problem now
    appears to have been solved, again by
    35 Dr. Miller. He postulates that both
    substances could have been produced
    in the prebiotic ocean through a process
    that entails the evaporation of sea
    water, the freezing of sea water in the
    40 polar ice caps, and the mixing of the two
    in the ocean.

    According to the passage, which of the following is true of the experiment performed by Drs. Urey and Miller in 1953?

    A)RNA was fabricated out of simple prebiotic substances.
    B)More than one dozen significant amino acids were synthesized.
    C)The experiment took several weeks to complete.
    D)Cytosine and uracil formed in the sealed beaker.
    E)The experiment was conducted in a flask filled with protein enzymes.

    What should be the correct Answer ? Why is not B ?
    C
    Hi Mitch,

    Thank you for replying. That was quiet useful. I have a query here.
    In the text marked in orange. The scientist set to prove protein can be synthesized but they proved that amino acid can be synthesized.

    Also in the passage there is no clear indication that RNA is a protein or an amino acid, we can rule out A for that.

    Please suggest.

    Thanks,
    JOHN

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