karlcardcardinal wrote:
I don't think B answer to question 1 is logically perfect. I think it is just an option to trick the test takers.
The former part of the answer fits well with the context, but the latter one does not. We can say "partially anesthetized" is congruent with fewer activities, but not necessarily "alert". Because it is just an assumption based on the common knowledge that animals must be less alert when anesthetized. But we also have a common knowledge that one could be "partially" anesthetized when taking some surgeries, like tooth extracting, which does not decrease the patients' sensitivity to the environment. On the contrary, some people could be highly stimulated after the surgery when metabolizing anesthetic.
Besides, GRE often devised the questions with answers which are not mentioned in the context. Even the "correct" answer is without B can also be interpreted right by the official explanation. Since GRE is trying to live up to "a logical examination," I think they should be more ALERT when inventing "logic." At least this one is not logically perfect.
Completely agree.
C should be the only correct answer. I reason that the other option indicated as correct is not substantiated by the text. Option B forces one to assume that alertness and activity are both decreased by "partial anaesthesia", whereas the passage only states (or alludes) that partial anaesthesia affects activity. Alternatively, it forces one to assume that decreased activity equates to decreased alertness.
Indeed, alertness is not touched upon as an element in the tadpole study in any way; it is only indicated that the second study also pertains to predation risk but concerns itself with activity.
I cannot find any evidence in the passage to suggest equating reduced activity to reduced alertness, nor any rhetorical device that places the second study as a parallel to the first in such a way that alertness and activiy must also necessarily be parallels.
If anything, B would have been an excellent trap answer. Just because the anaesthesized tadpoles were less active does not mean they were less alert. It is entirely possible that the anaesthesized tadpoles were equally alert but had only their mobility affected. Only their mobility, 'activity', being affected can be reasonably established. I believe drawing any equivalence, correlation or causal relationship between reduced activity and reduced alertness with the information, allusions and rhetoric available in the passage is faulty inference.