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Microscopic plants!

by gmat_perfect » Wed Jul 21, 2010 9:59 am
Microscopic plants called algae grow inside the top layer of sea ice in the Antarctic if enough sunlight reaches that layer of ice and enough seawater, which contains nutrients, reaches that layer after splashing onto the surface. Even though moderate snow cover reduces the sunlight that filters into the top layer, sea ice with moderate snow cover typically contains even more algae in the top layer than does sea ice with less snow cover.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the apparent discrepancy?

(A) As the weight of accumulated snow forces ice lower in the water, more seawater splashes onto the surface and seeps through the snow.
(B) Seawater in the Antarctic often contains higher concentrations of nutrients than does seawater in more temperate regions.
(C) As the air temperature around sea ice decreases during the winter, the likelihood decreases that snow will fall and thus add to any existing snow cover.
(D) The nutrients on which algae rely are common in seawater throughout the Antarctic.
(E) More sunlight filters through a layer of ice than through an equally thick layer of snow.

[spoiler]OA: A[/spoiler]

Please explain why other options are wrong?
Thanks.
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by brijesh » Wed Jul 21, 2010 12:44 pm
gmat_perfect wrote:Microscopic plants called algae grow inside the top layer of sea ice in the Antarctic if enough sunlight reaches that layer of ice and enough seawater, which contains nutrients, reaches that layer after splashing onto the surface. Even though moderate snow cover reduces the sunlight that filters into the top layer, sea ice with moderate snow cover typically contains even more algae in the top layer than does sea ice with less snow cover.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the apparent discrepancy?

(A) As the weight of accumulated snow forces ice lower in the water, more seawater splashes onto the surface and seeps through the snow.
(B) Seawater in the Antarctic often contains higher concentrations of nutrients than does seawater in more temperate regions.
(C) As the air temperature around sea ice decreases during the winter, the likelihood decreases that snow will fall and thus add to any existing snow cover.
(D) The nutrients on which algae rely are common in seawater throughout the Antarctic.
(E) More sunlight filters through a layer of ice than through an equally thick layer of snow.

i think option A... but not very sure

[spoiler]OA: A[/spoiler]

Please explain why other options are wrong?
Thanks.
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by hero » Wed Jul 21, 2010 3:03 pm
The question asks you to Resolve a Paradox as indicated by the question stem. As such, you should take all answers as true and ask yourself "does this answer resolve the paradox" in the stimulus. for clarification, resolving a paradox requires you to resolve BOTH sides of the paradox for the correct answer.

you need to watch out for answers that are address only half the paradox or answers that address facts in the stimulus, but don't have much to do with the actual paradox in question. and consider it this way: 1 correct answer will resolve the paradox, and 4 incorrect answers WILL NOT resolve the paradox. this doesn't mean there will be 4 factually incorrect answers, rather they just fail to explain how the situation can occur or how the two items or occurrences can co-exist.

Answer (B): my first response is "great information...but how does that resolve the paradox". the question stem only address antarctic waters. this answer is useless.

Answer (C): This answer addresses the reasons why snow levels adjust; it does not address the paradox of why ea ice with moderate snow cover typically contains even more algae in the top layer than does sea ice with less snow cover. This answer addresses facts in the stimulus but does not resolve the paradox.

Answer (D): similar to (C). this answer addresses the availability of nutrients in the Antarctic sea, but does not resolve the paradox in the question.

Answer (E): It doesn't matter if more light filters through ice than the snow. this isn't the paradox. we need to know how can more snow cover cause more algae. we are not interested in how much light goes through ice vs. snow. we just need to know how this situation can occur. this answer does not resolve that paradox.


Answer (A) is the only one that can allow the two conflicting occurences in the stimulus to co-exist.


gmat_perfect wrote:Microscopic plants called algae grow inside the top layer of sea ice in the Antarctic if enough sunlight reaches that layer of ice and enough seawater, which contains nutrients, reaches that layer after splashing onto the surface. Even though moderate snow cover reduces the sunlight that filters into the top layer, sea ice with moderate snow cover typically contains even more algae in the top layer than does sea ice with less snow cover.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the apparent discrepancy?

(A) As the weight of accumulated snow forces ice lower in the water, more seawater splashes onto the surface and seeps through the snow.
(B) Seawater in the Antarctic often contains higher concentrations of nutrients than does seawater in more temperate regions.
(C) As the air temperature around sea ice decreases during the winter, the likelihood decreases that snow will fall and thus add to any existing snow cover.
(D) The nutrients on which algae rely are common in seawater throughout the Antarctic.
(E) More sunlight filters through a layer of ice than through an equally thick layer of snow.

[spoiler]OA: A[/spoiler]

Please explain why other options are wrong?
Thanks.
Last edited by hero on Thu Jul 22, 2010 8:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by reply2spg » Wed Jul 21, 2010 7:49 pm
Awesome question.....A is the only one which make sense here.
gmat_perfect wrote:Microscopic plants called algae grow inside the top layer of sea ice in the Antarctic if enough sunlight reaches that layer of ice and enough seawater, which contains nutrients, reaches that layer after splashing onto the surface. Even though moderate snow cover reduces the sunlight that filters into the top layer, sea ice with moderate snow cover typically contains even more algae in the top layer than does sea ice with less snow cover.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the apparent discrepancy?

(A) As the weight of accumulated snow forces ice lower in the water, more seawater splashes onto the surface and seeps through the snow.
(B) Seawater in the Antarctic often contains higher concentrations of nutrients than does seawater in more temperate regions.
(C) As the air temperature around sea ice decreases during the winter, the likelihood decreases that snow will fall and thus add to any existing snow cover.
(D) The nutrients on which algae rely are common in seawater throughout the Antarctic.
(E) More sunlight filters through a layer of ice than through an equally thick layer of snow.

[spoiler]OA: A[/spoiler]

Please explain why other options are wrong?
Thanks.
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(have lot of things to learn from all of you)
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by gmat_perfect » Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:23 am
hero wrote:The question asks you to Resolve a Paradox as indicated by the question stem. As such, you should take all answers as true and ask yourself "does this answer resolve the paradox" in the stimulus. for clarification, resolving a paradox requires you to resolve BOTH sides of the paradox for the correct answer.

you need to watch out for answers that are address only half the paradox or answers that address facts in the stimulus, but don't have much to do with the actual paradox in question. and consider it this way: 1 correct answer will resolve the paradox, and 4 incorrect answers WILL NOT resolve the paradox. this doesn't mean there will be 4 factually incorrect answers, rather they just fail to explain how the situation can occur or how the two items or occurrences can co-exist.

Answer (B): my first response is "great information...but how does that resolve the paradox". the question stem only address antarctic waters. this answer is useless.

Answer (C): This answer addresses the reasons why snow levels adjust; it does not address the paradox of why ea ice with moderate snow cover typically contains even more algae in the top layer than does sea ice with less snow cover. This answer addresses facts in the stimulus but does not resolve the paradox.

Answer (D): similar to (C). this answer addresses the availability of nutrients in the Antarctic sea, but does resolve the paradox in the question.

Answer (E): It doesn't matter if more light filters through ice than the snow. this isn't the paradox. we need to know how can more snow cover cause more algae. we are not interested in how much light goes through ice vs. snow. we just need to know how this situation can occur. this answer does not resolve that paradox.


Answer (A) is the only one that can allow the two conflicting occurences in the stimulus to co-exist.


gmat_perfect wrote:Microscopic plants called algae grow inside the top layer of sea ice in the Antarctic if enough sunlight reaches that layer of ice and enough seawater, which contains nutrients, reaches that layer after splashing onto the surface. Even though moderate snow cover reduces the sunlight that filters into the top layer, sea ice with moderate snow cover typically contains even more algae in the top layer than does sea ice with less snow cover.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the apparent discrepancy?

(A) As the weight of accumulated snow forces ice lower in the water, more seawater splashes onto the surface and seeps through the snow.
(B) Seawater in the Antarctic often contains higher concentrations of nutrients than does seawater in more temperate regions.
(C) As the air temperature around sea ice decreases during the winter, the likelihood decreases that snow will fall and thus add to any existing snow cover.
(D) The nutrients on which algae rely are common in seawater throughout the Antarctic.
(E) More sunlight filters through a layer of ice than through an equally thick layer of snow.

[spoiler]OA: A[/spoiler]

Please explain why other options are wrong?
Thanks.
@Hero@:

You are really hero. Your explanation is very good. I got it. I request you to explain the theory first. The theory that has been described at the beginning of your explanation is very helpful.
I request you to write some tips when you write explanation on the critical reasoning.
Thanks.
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