geneticist

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geneticist

by sumanr84 » Wed Jun 30, 2010 1:52 am
If a geneticist selects any arbitrary group of people - for instance, those who enjoy watching football games - and examines them closely enough, he or she may well find a genetic marker common to all of them. But that shared marker need not have anything to do with the fact that they all like football.

The consideration above can best serve as part of an argument against the view that

a. An individual's personality is more likely to be determined by the environment in which he grew up than by his or her genetic makeup.
b. The discovery that alcoholics share a common gene establishes that alcoholism is genetically determined.
c. Certain personality traits are determined neither by environment nor by heredity, but by some unknown third element.
d. Since genetic makeup may determine how one responds to one's environment, scientists cannot assume that heredity plays no role in personality development.
e. Certain personality traits can be reinforced by spending time with others who share that personality trait.

[spoiler]Source : kaplan cat2, OA later[/spoiler]
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Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by pradeepkaushal9518 » Wed Jun 30, 2010 2:08 am
imo A is correct answer

ex in india all most all crazy about cricket. this does not means they are genetically all same

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by kvcpk » Wed Jun 30, 2010 2:16 am
I also go with A.
Looks like a tough question to me. A,D are competitors according to me.

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by pradeepkaushal9518 » Wed Jun 30, 2010 2:30 am
ya kvcpk i was also stuck between A and D but example of football force me to choose A.

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by sumanr84 » Wed Jun 30, 2010 4:00 am
Guys..you picked the same answer as I picked, but A is wrong. Please give it a one more shot
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by kvcpk » Wed Jun 30, 2010 4:47 am
sumanr84 wrote:Guys..you picked the same answer as I picked, but A is wrong. Please give it a one more shot
Hmmm.. now its time for lottery :D

I am looking at "against the view that " now...

So B looks better this time.. I am sure that I would get it wrong in main exam though.. :x

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by sumanr84 » Wed Jun 30, 2010 5:04 am
kvcpk wrote: Hmmm.. now its time for lottery :D

I am looking at "against the view that " now...

So B looks better this time.. I am sure that I would get it wrong in main exam though.. :x
Bingo !! Jack-Pot :-)
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by kvcpk » Wed Jun 30, 2010 5:19 am
sumanr84 wrote:
kvcpk wrote: Hmmm.. now its time for lottery :D

I am looking at "against the view that " now...

So B looks better this time.. I am sure that I would get it wrong in main exam though.. :x
Bingo !! Jack-Pot :-)
Cant believe that I got it right this time.. I think i am getting used to GMAT way of answers.. hehehe

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by pradeepkaushal9518 » Wed Jun 30, 2010 5:56 am
can any expert explain?

whats the source?

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by sumanr84 » Wed Jun 30, 2010 6:19 am
OE : Kaplan

This argument warns against jumping to a conclusion of false causality. The author points out that just because a group of people have something in common, they like football, for example, and they happen to share a genetic marker, it would be wrong to think that the genetic marker CAUSES them to like football. The question asks for the answer that disagrees with this line of thinking. (B) is correct because it takes the direct opposite stance and claims that a common gene discovered in alcoholics proves that alcoholism IS CAUSED by that gene. (A) is wrong because it is more consistent with this author's position since it claims that environment is more influential than genetic makeup in determining a person's personality. The author does not discuss environmental effects on personality but does seem to agree with the position that genetic makeup is not always the CAUSE of an observed characteristic. (C) also leans toward the author's position by stating that another element, other than environment or heredity, determines personality traits. For (D) to be correct, the stimulus would have to argue that scientists can assume that heredity plays no role in personality development. However, that's further than the stimulus actually goes, as the stimulus simply says that a shared genetic marker does not necessarily cause a given personality trait. (E) does not address the key issue in the argument - whether genetics does or does not determine a certain characteristic.
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by kvcpk » Wed Jun 30, 2010 7:07 am
sumanr84 wrote:OE : Kaplan

This argument warns against jumping to a conclusion of false causality. The author points out that just because a group of people have something in common, they like football, for example, and they happen to share a genetic marker, it would be wrong to think that the genetic marker CAUSES them to like football. The question asks for the answer that disagrees with this line of thinking. (B) is correct because it takes the direct opposite stance and claims that a common gene discovered in alcoholics proves that alcoholism IS CAUSED by that gene. (A) is wrong because it is more consistent with this author's position since it claims that environment is more influential than genetic makeup in determining a person's personality. The author does not discuss environmental effects on personality but does seem to agree with the position that genetic makeup is not always the CAUSE of an observed characteristic. (C) also leans toward the author's position by stating that another element, other than environment or heredity, determines personality traits. For (D) to be correct, the stimulus would have to argue that scientists can assume that heredity plays no role in personality development. However, that's further than the stimulus actually goes, as the stimulus simply says that a shared genetic marker does not necessarily cause a given personality trait. (E) does not address the key issue in the argument - whether genetics does or does not determine a certain characteristic.
Good one Suman.. Thanks for sharing!!