LSAT Reading Comprehension Sample Science Passage - Hormones

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Here is an LSAT passage for you to try. This passage has 6 questions, which is as many as you would see on any GMAT passage and it is as long as any GMAT passage. It is also quite dense. Passages like this can help you prepare for the tough new passages that are appearing on the GMAT (many that are tougher than what is in the OG).

This is the second LSAT passage I have posted. The first one is at this link. https://www.beatthegmat.com/lsat-reading ... 71360.html

Also, please see this discussion of using the LSAT to study for the GMAT reading comp. https://www.beatthegmat.com/lsat-to-stud ... tml#322872

Source: December 2001 LSAT Test, Section 2, questions 15 - 20. I found the passage in "The Next 10 Actual, Official PrepTests" LSAC, 2004 (p. 258).

I will post a thorough discussion of this passage below.



"Discussions of how hormones influence behavior
have generally been limited to the effects of gonadal
hormones on reproductive behavior and have
emphasized the parsimonious arrangement whereby the
(5) same hormones involved in the biology of reproduction
also influence sexual behavior. It has now become
clear, however, that other hormones, in addition to their
recognized influence on biological functions, can affect
behavior. Specifically, peptide and steroid hormones
(10) involved in maintaining the physiological balance, or
homeostasis, of body fluids also appear to play an
important role in the control of water and salt
consumption. The phenomenon of homeostasis in
animals depends on various mechanisms that promote
(15) stability within the organism despite an inconstant
external environment; the homeostasis of body fluids,
whereby the osmolality (the concentration of solutes)
of blood plasma is closely regulated, is achieved
primarily through alterations in the intake and
(20) excretion of water and sodium, the two principal
components of the fluid matrix that surrounds body
cells. Appropriate compensatory responses are initiated
when deviations from normal are quite small, thereby
maintaining plasma osmolality within relatively narrow
(25) ranges.

In the osmoregulation of body fluids, the
movement of water across cell membranes permits
minor fluctuations in the concentration of solutes in
extracellular fluid to be buffered by corresponding
(30) changes in the relatively larger volume of cellular
water. Nevertheless, the concentration of solutes in
extracellular fluid may at times become elevated or
reduced by more than the allowed tolerances of one or
two percent. It is then that complementary
(35) physiological and behavioral responses come into play
to restore plasma osmolality to normal. Thus, for
example, a decrease in plasma osmolality, such as that
which occurs after the consumption of water in excess
of need, leads to the excretion of surplus body water in
(40) the urine by inhibiting secretion from the pituitary
gland of vasopressin, a peptide hormone that promotes
water conservation in the kidneys. As might be
expected, thirst also is inhibited then, to prevent further
dilution of body fluids. Conversely, an increase in
(45) plasma osmolality, such as that which occurs after one
eats salty foods or after body water evaporates without
being replaced, stimulates the release of vasopressin,
increasing the conservation of water and the excretion
of solutes in urine. This process is accompanied by
(50) increased thirst, with the result of making plasma
osmolality more dilute through the consumption of
water. The threshold for thirst appears to be slightly
higher than for vasopressin secretion, so that thirst is
stimulated only after vasopressin has been released in
(55) amounts sufficient to produce maximal water retention
by the kidneys-that is, only after osmotic dehydration
exceeds the capacity of the animal to deal with it
physiologically.


15. Which one of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

(A) Both the solute concentration and the volume of
an animal's blood plasma must be kept within
relatively narrow ranges.

(B) Behavioral responses to changes in an animal's
blood plasma can compensate for physiological
malfunction, allowing the body to avoid
dehydration.

(C) The effect of hormones on animal behavior and
physiology has only recently been discovered.

(D) Behavioral and physiological responses to major
changes in osmolality of an animal's blood
plasma are hormonally influenced and
complement one another.

(E) The mechanisms regulating reproduction are
similar to those that regulate thirst and sodium
appetite.


16. The author of the passage cites the relationship between
gonadal hormones and reproductive behavior in order to

(A) review briefly the history of research into the
relationships between gonadal and peptide
hormones that has led to the present discussion

(B) decry the fact that previous research has
concentrated on the relatively minor issue of the
relationships between hormones and behavior

(C) establish the emphasis of earlier research into the
connections between hormones and behavior
before elaborating on the results described in the
passage

(D) introduce a commonly held misconception about
the relationships between hormones and
behavior before refuting it with the results
described in the passage

(E) summarize the main findings of recent research
described in the passage before detailing the
various procedures that led to those findings


17. It can be inferred from the passage that which one of the
following is true of vasopressin?

(A) The amount secreted depends on the level of
steroid hormones in the blood.

(B) The amount secreted is important for maintaining
homeostasis in cases of both increased and
decreased osmolality.

(C) It works in conjunction with steroid hormones in
increasing plasma volume.

(D) It works in conjunction with steroid hormones in
regulating sodium appetite.

(E) It is secreted after an animal becomes thirsty, as a
mechanism for diluting plasma osmolality.


18. The primary function of the passage as a whole is to

(A) present new information

(B) question standard assumptions

(C) reinterpret earlier findings

(D) advocate a novel theory

(E) outline a new approach


19. According to the passage, all of the following typically
occur in the homeostasis of blood-plasma osmolality
EXCEPT:


(A) Hunger is diminished.

(B) Thirst is initiated.

(C) Vasopressin is secreted.

(D) Water is excreted.

(E) Sodium is consumed.


20. According to the passage, the withholding of vasopressin
fulfills which one of the following functions in the
restoration of plasma osmolality to normal levels?


(A) It increases thirst and stimulates sodium appetite.

(B) It helps prevent further dilution of body fluids.

(C) It increases the conservation of water in the
kidneys.

(D) It causes minor changes in plasma volume.

(E) It helps stimulate the secretion of steroid
hormones.



OAs
[spoiler]
15. D
16. C
17. B
18. A
19. A
20. B[/spoiler]
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by Black Knight » Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:41 pm
Passages like this can help you prepare for the tough new passages that are appearing on the GMAT (many that are tougher than what is in the OG).
Hi David

Can you throw some more light on these 'tough new passages' since I'm really confused where to practice RCs from. Some people say the OGs are enough but most say they aren't.

Thanks

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by powerpuff » Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:24 am
Phew! The passage is very tough and data intensive. I guess I'll have to read it again in sometime to understand it properly. Will post the answers then

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by prac » Thu Feb 17, 2011 3:20 am
CCBAAC- 12 mins

I think 2 wrong . Could you please explain 1st and last question.

Thanks a lot
powerpuff wrote:Phew! The passage is very tough and data intensive. I guess I'll have to read it again in sometime to understand it properly. Will post the answers then

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by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Feb 17, 2011 5:11 am
I purposefully selected what I thought was one of the hardest LSAT passages out there.

The point of doing something like this is not necessarily to get the questions right. But to learn from the passage. You will never get this exact passage on the GMAT (just as you will never get the exact passages in the Official Guide since they have now been released). But what can we learn?

The tougher passages that I am speaking of are the ones being reported all over BTG by students taking the test. These passages are either longer or have much denser language, or both. I have found that in the Official Guide only about 3 to 4 passages are long and/or dense. Most of the passages seem quite understandable. It is important to do those passages as they are actual GMAT reading comps but it is also important to realize that the test is becoming more difficult overall AND that GMAC most likely saves their best stuff and releases in the OG questions that are pretty good but not the toughest and the best (they keep the toughest and best to use again next year).

That is where additional sources come in. You need two things for additional sources. 1) is a good strategy since the OG does not really provide one. 2) Tough practice problems. Something like the Veritas Reading Comp book or another similar book can provide the strategy (and hopefully I can do some of that here as well). That same Veritas book has many practice Reading Comp passages that are tougher than the OG. Another great source of passages to study is past LSAT exams. And that is what I discuss in the link posted above and this example is one of those LSAT passages.

PowerPuff and PRac - I am writing an explanation of the entire passage, how to approach the passage and the same for each of the questions and I will post that in this thread a little later today.
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by Target2009 » Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:53 am
CCBAAC
2 wrong / 4 correct : 10 Min
Regards
Abhishek
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by Target2009 » Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:55 am
David@VeritasPrep wrote: I am writing an explanation of the entire passage, how to approach the passage and the same for each of the questions and I will post that in this thread a little later today.
This Is great David. Thanks in Advance.
Regards
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by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:57 pm
When reading a reading comprehension passage emphasis should be placed on the "comprehension" part of reading comprehension. Let's use this passage as an example.

It is not a good idea, in my opinion, to skim a passage. Neither is it a good idea to focus is on the smallest details. Instead you want to really get a sense of what the passage is doing. At Veritas we talk about the Scope of the Passage, the Tone, the Organization and the Purpose. Notice that all of these things are at a medium level of detail. For the above passage we would not want to say that the Scope is "hormones." You can get that without reading the passage. So you have to be more in-depth than that. But also, take care not to get caught up in the terminology either. There is a lot to get stuck in with "osmoregulation" "fluid matrix" and "homeostasis."

One thing that has helped many students is to pause at the end of each paragraph and gather yourself. This can take the form of writing out the main idea of that paragraph (and I encourage you to try this at least at the beginning) or it can mean just integrating that paragraph into the passage without writing anything down. If you do write something down, make it no more than 6 - 12 words and don't write anything down until you are done reading the paragraph! If you start writing things down before you are done reading the paragraph then you will be "taking notes" which we do not want to do. If you find yourself writing down dates, lists of names, etc. you are at much too detailed of a level.

One more thing -- this problem is representative of a trend on the GMAT: longer paragraphs. One reason that you do not want to read the entire passage before you figure out if you really know what is going on is that it is a big waste of time to re-read the whole thing! If you have to re-read a paragraph that is not such a big deal. But with huge paragraphs like these I tend to break them down into two paragraphs myself so that I am not reading 30 lines before I stop and figure out what is going on. In this case I broke the first paragraph at line 13 at the word "consumption" and the second paragraph at line 44 before the word "conversely."

Here is what I would say about these paragraphs from my reading of the passage. Remember I am only going for just the main idea.

Paragraph 1 (up to line 13) = non reproductive hormones can affect behavior such as water and salt consumption.
Paragraph 1 (lines 13 - 25) = bodily fluids remain in a narrow balance particularly water and salt
Paragraph 2 (up to line 44) = If the water/salt balance is off hormones help the body restore
Paragraph 2 (after line 44) = If lack of water vasopressin is released conserves water leads to thirst

You will see that I did use the term "vasopressin" because it kept coming up but I have not included in technical language or jargon here. It is not even necessary sometimes to understand what these unfamiliar words mean in order to have the main idea of each paragraph. From what I have above I can answer the main idea question and know where to go back in the text for other questions.
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by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:59 pm
15. Which one of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

(A) Both the solute concentration and the volume of
an animal's blood plasma must be kept within
relatively narrow ranges.

(B) Behavioral responses to changes in an animal's
blood plasma can compensate for physiological
malfunction, allowing the body to avoid
dehydration.

(C) The effect of hormones on animal behavior and
physiology has only recently been discovered.

(D) Behavioral and physiological responses to major
changes in osmolality of an animal's blood
plasma are hormonally influenced and
complement one another.

(E) The mechanisms regulating reproduction are
similar to those that regulate thirst and sodium
appetite.
The main idea of each paragraph above helps me to deal effectively with this question. Since the main idea question does not guide me to any one paragraph, this one I will begin with process of elimination. I am not looking for a choice that is perfect, I am looking for reasons to eliminate 4 choices.

A) This is too specifically focused. The passage does discuss keeping solutes in a narrow range but this does not even mention hormones.

B) Not even sure that this is true-again too narrow possibly not accurate.

C) This is not accurate. The impact of reproductive hormones has been known.

D) CORRECT ANSWER This picks up at about line 10 when the intro is over and the rest of the passage is focused on this.

E) This goes too far. Reproduction is mentioned and hormones discussed but not to the point of discussing mechanisms.

I have not returned to the passage to answer this question, but have eliminated those choices that are not accurate or that do not describe the entire passage.
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by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:02 pm
16. The author of the passage cites the relationship between
gonadal hormones and reproductive behavior in order to

(A) review briefly the history of research into the
relationships between gonadal and peptide
hormones that has led to the present discussion

(B) decry the fact that previous research has
concentrated on the relatively minor issue of the
relationships between hormones and behavior

(C) establish the emphasis of earlier research into the
connections between hormones and behavior
before elaborating on the results described in the
passage

(D) introduce a commonly held misconception about
the relationships between hormones and
behavior before refuting it with the results
described in the passage

(E) summarize the main findings of recent research
described in the passage before detailing the
various procedures that led to those findings
This is a question that does direct us back to one part of the text and so returning to re-read is a good idea UNLESS you can answer the question in words (before looking at any answer choices) and do so with a high degree of certainty.

In this case I return to the beginning of the first paragraph. I see that the focus was on gonadal hormones and the fact that they influence both biology and behavior. Then the passage says in lines 6 - 9 that other hormones have biological and behavioral functions.

Now this is a function question so we will not be able to predict the answer. Re-reading has set us up for a good process of elimination on this question. As in the previous question I am looking for ways to eliminate answer choices.

A) It is not the relationship between these two hormones but only that one was known to impact behavior and now the other is known to as well.

B) "Decry" is an inappropriate tone - this was not said to be minor issue

C) CORRECT ANSWER The earlier research is mentioned so that we can then learn about the new research.

D) Refuted is incorrect, it is true that we learn that other hormones impact behavior but not refute.

E) "Detailing the various procedures" is not correct. We got the findings and not the procedures.
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by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:12 pm
17. It can be inferred from the passage that which one of the
following is true of vasopressin?

(A) The amount secreted depends on the level of
steroid hormones in the blood.

(B) The amount secreted is important for maintaining
homeostasis in cases of both increased and
decreased osmolality.

(C) It works in conjunction with steroid hormones in
increasing plasma volume.

(D) It works in conjunction with steroid hormones in
regulating sodium appetite.

(E) It is secreted after an animal becomes thirsty, as a
mechanism for diluting plasma osmolality.


This question stem is specific enough for me to return to the passage. What I find is that vasopressin is discussed in the middle of the second paragraph. It is discussed for a few sentence so I read those. What I found is that vasopressin is released if the body has too little water and is not released if too much water. Vasopressin is a hormone and it impacts behavior (makes you thirsty or not as well as physiology of the kidneys). It only takes a few seconds to re-read portions of the text and it is much better to do this than to go to the answer choices unarmed.

Now I am ready for the choices.

A) Seems incorrect as it is the level of water and salt in the blood.

B) CORRECT ANSWER This is true. In each case the hormone is either secreted or withheld.

C) This is not mentioned in the portion of the text talking about Vasopressin.

D) This is also not mentioned in the discussion of Vasopressin.

E) This is actually false. The hormone is secreted first and this helps a person become thirsty later.
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by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:18 pm
18. The primary function of the passage as a whole is to

(A) present new information

(B) question standard assumptions

(C) reinterpret earlier findings

(D) advocate a novel theory

(E) outline a new approach
This is a universal question that asks about the function of the entire passage. Re-reading would be inefficient since we are talking about the whole passage. Your knowledge of the main idea of the paragraphs can help. Certainly this is where the tone of the passage comes in as well.

We seem to have several questions where Process of Elimination is used!

A) CORRECT ANSWER - It would be hard for this to not be correct for this question. Certainly new information is there and "present" is the right tone.

B) "Question" does not seem correct. Standard assumptions of what?

C) There are no earlier findings that are reinterpreted but no ones presented.

D) Not sure anyone is "advocating." What is the theory?

E) What is the new approach? A different way of doing things?
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by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:22 pm
19. According to the passage, all of the following typically
occur in the homeostasis of blood-plasma osmolality
EXCEPT:

(A) Hunger is diminished.

(B) Thirst is initiated.

(C) Vasopressin is secreted.

(D) Water is excreted.

(E) Sodium is consumed.
With an EXCEPT question it is usually easier to find the other four answers and eliminate those rather than prove that one is not there.

For this one I happened to remember from the reading that the balance is between water and salt. This was confirmed in my notes on the main idea of the paragraphs. Nothing about hunger anywhere.

B,C, D, E are all there in the discussion of the water -salt balance. Hunger is not -- that makes A the CORRECT ANSWER.
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by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:27 pm
20. According to the passage, the withholding of vasopressin
fulfills which one of the following functions in the
restoration of plasma osmolality to normal levels?

(A) It increases thirst and stimulates sodium appetite.

(B) It helps prevent further dilution of body fluids.

(C) It increases the conservation of water in the
kidneys.

(D) It causes minor changes in plasma volume.

(E) It helps stimulate the secretion of steroid
hormones.
Here is a classic specific question. It helps us to return to the middle part of the second paragraph. We re-read the portion where vasopressin is withheld. This is done when there is too much water. No Vasopressin means not thirst response. So we can anticipate the correct answer. The function fulfilled by withholding Vasopressin is water is not taken in and water is secreted.

This leads directly to Choice B. Not taking in water and in fact releasing it will prevent further dilution of fluids. A and C are both wrong as they go in the opposite direction, more thirst and water conservation.
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