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The more that is discovered about the intricate organization
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22 Oct 2019, 07:56
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The more that is discovered about the intricate organization of the nervous system, the more it seems remarkable that genes can successfully specify the development of that system. Human genes contain too little information even to specify which hemisphere of the brain each of a human's 1011 neurons should occupy, let alone the hundreds of connections that each neuron makes. For such reasons, we can assume that there must be an important random factor in neural development, and in particular, that errors must and do occur in the development of all normal brains.
The most vivid expression of such errors occurs in genetically identical (isogenic) organisms. Even when reared under the same conditions, isogenic organisms are rarely exact copies of one another, and their differences have revealed much about the random variations that result from an organism's limited supply of genetic information. In isogenic Daphniae, for example, even though the position, size, and branching pattern of each optic neuron are remarkably constant, there is some variability in connectivity, and the number of synapses varies greatly. This variability is probably the result of random scatter beyond the resolution of genetic control and is best termed "imprecision," since its converse, the degree of clustering about a mean, is conventionally called "precision."
Imprecision should be distinguished from developmental mistakes: wrongly migrated neurons, incorrect connections, and the like. To use a computer analogy, minor rounding-off errors occur universally and are analogous to imprecision, but occasionally a binary digit is incorrectly transmitted, perhaps ruining a calculation, and this incorrect transmission is analogous to a developmental mistake. Thus, imprecision is a form of inaccuracy inherent within the limits of design, but mistakes are forms of gross fallibility. Both imprecision- and gross fallibility can plausibly be blamed on the insufficiency of genetic information since either could be reduced by adding more information. It is universally accepted among information theorists that codes and languages can be made mistake-resistant by incorporating redundancy. However, since the amount of space available in any information system is limited, increased redundancy results in decreased precision. For example, π when written incorrectly in English, "three point oen four two," can be understood correctly even though a typographical error has occurred. More precision could be gained, however; if those 24 spaces were filled with Arabic numerals; then 1t could be expressed to 23 significant digits, although any error would significantly change the meaning. There exists a trade-off; the more precisely a system is specified, using a given limited amount of information, the greater the danger of gross mistakes. The overall scheme by which genetic information is rationed out in organisms, therefore, must involve a compromise between two conflicting priorities: precision and the avoidance of gross mistakes.
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Question Stats:
80% (03:11) correct
20% (04:44) wrong based on 49 sessions
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17. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
(A) Although studies of isogenic organisms have shown that all organisms are subject to developmental variations, there is still scientific debate over the exact causes of these variations. (B) Because of limitations on the amount of information contained in the genes of organisms, developing nervous systems are subject to two basic kinds of error, the likelihood of one of which is reduced only when the likelihood of the other is increased. (C) The complexity of an organism's genetic information means that much of the unusual variation that occurs among organisms can best be explained as the result of developmental mistakes. (D) New findings about the nature of the genetic control of neural development support the work of; some scientists who argue that the computer is an extremely useful model for understanding the nervous system. (E) The major discovery made by scientists studying the genetic control of neural development is that both imprecision and gross developmental error can be traced to specific types of mutations in specific genes.
64% (01:11) correct
36% (01:16) wrong based on 66 sessions
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18. According to the passage, one of the reasons it has been assumed that there is an important random element in human neural development is that
(A) genes cannot specify certain types of developmental processes as well as they can others (B) the intricacy of the nervous system allows small developmental errors to occur without harmful effects (C). the amount of information contained in the genes is less than the amount necessary to specify the location of the neurons (D) the number of neurons in the human brain varies greatly from individual to individual (E) it is theoretically impossible for an organism to protect itself completely from gross developmental mistakes
55% (01:20) correct
45% (02:06) wrong based on 62 sessions
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19. The author suggests which of the following about the findings of information theorists?
(A) Their findings provocatively challenge the standard explanation of redundancy in genes. (B) Their findings provide useful insights into understanding the rationing of genetic information. (C) Their findings help to explain why imprecision can occur in neural development but not why gross mistakes can occur. (D) Their findings suggest that genes may be able to specify neural development more accurately than had previously been thought. (E) Their findings support the work of those who use computer operations as models for understanding genetic control.
52% (01:20) correct
48% (01:21) wrong based on 58 sessions
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21. Which of the following best describes the organization of the first paragraph?
(A) A specific case is presented, its details are analyzed, and a conclusion is drawn from it. (B) A discovery is announced, its most significant application is discussed, and possibilities for the future are suggested. (C) A generalization is made, specific situations in which it is applicable are noted, and problems with it are suggested. (D) An observation is made, specifics are provided to support it, and a generalization is derived. (E) A hypothesis is presented, its implications are clarified, and applications of it are discussed.
75% (01:28) correct
25% (01:32) wrong based on 55 sessions
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22. The author uses all of the following to clarify the distinction between imprecision and gross mistake in neural development EXCEPT
(A) classification of borderline phenomena (B) a description of the relationship between the phenomena denoted by each term (C) specific examples of the phenomena denoted by each term (D) an explanation of at least one of the key terms involved (E) analogies to other types of phenomena
61% (01:25) correct
39% (01:43) wrong based on 49 sessions
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23. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the genetic information of Daphniae?
I. There is probably some degree of redundancy in the information controlling neural development. II. Most of the information for neural development stored in the genes is used to specify the positions of the optic neurons. III. There is sufficient information to preclude the occurrence of gross mistakes during neural development.
(A) I only (B) II only (C) III only (D) I and II only (E) II and III only
Re: The more that is discovered about the intricate organization
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07 Nov 2019, 12:12
Expert Reply
The answer which is B is in the last sentence of the passage
Quote:
The overall scheme by which genetic information is rationed out in organisms, therefore, must involve a compromise between two conflicting priorities: precision and the avoidance of gross mistakes.
The author suggests which of the following about the findings of information theorists?
(A) Their findings provocatively challenge the standard explanation of redundancy in genes.
No mentioned in the passage the challenge. Instead, they help to have more insights
(B) Their findings provide useful insights into understanding the rationing of genetic information.
Correct. The sentence above illustrates just this.
(C) Their findings help to explain why imprecision can occur in neural development but not why gross mistakes can occur.
No. Neither they know why we do have gross mistakes
(D) Their findings suggest that genes may be able to specify neural development more accurately than had previously been thought.
No mentioned in the passage
(E) Their findings support the work of those who use computer operations as models for understanding genetic control.
Re: The more that is discovered about the intricate organization
[#permalink]
21 Feb 2020, 20:51
All correct, except 22. Can someone help explain? I chose C, wasn't sure about the meaning of A, therefore did not eliminate A totally but ended up going for C
Re: The more that is discovered about the intricate organization
[#permalink]
13 Jun 2022, 03:35
Carcass wrote:
The answer which is B is in the last sentence of the passage
Quote:
The overall scheme by which genetic information is rationed out in organisms, therefore, must involve a compromise between two conflicting priorities: precision and the avoidance of gross mistakes.
The author suggests which of the following about the findings of information theorists?
(A) Their findings provocatively challenge the standard explanation of redundancy in genes.
No mentioned in the passage the challenge. Instead, they help to have more insights
(B) Their findings provide useful insights into understanding the rationing of genetic information.
Correct. The sentence above illustrates just this.
(C) Their findings help to explain why imprecision can occur in neural development but not why gross mistakes can occur.
No. Neither they know why we do have gross mistakes
(D) Their findings suggest that genes may be able to specify neural development more accurately than had previously been thought.
No mentioned in the passage
(E) Their findings support the work of those who use computer operations as models for understanding genetic control.
Out of scope
The passage uses Information theorists once using the word accepts "It is universally accepted among information theorists that codes and languages can be made mistake-resistant by incorporating redundancy. ". It states just about the information theory view on the fact. Can we deduce that further passage is also about the information theorists. I get confused when the question seeks for such flexibility. Do you have some other examples like this.
Re: The more that is discovered about the intricate organization
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14 Jun 2022, 12:53
3
You are correctly identified the part of the passage that mentions information theorists, which is a great first step.
Once u find the key words, in this case "information theorists," you can begin trying to answer the question in the manner detailed above. That is, go through all the different answer choices and cross out the ones that u find incorrect based on the information in the paragraph. As it was stated before, this time, the evidence needed to choose the correct answer is in the last sentence.
If you read through the paragraph where the key words are present and still can't answer the question, then it means u have to search for clues that help u answer the question elsewhere in the passage.
If you encounter such a tough problem on the GRE, it is best to make a guess, flag the question, and if u have enough time left after finishing the section, return to the question to try to solve it. What you don't want to do is get so focused or frustrated by the question that you waste time and mental energy on it that you may need for the rest of the test.
Re: The more that is discovered about the intricate organization
[#permalink]
15 Jun 2022, 00:59
That was the best example I have seen. I am really thankful for that. I am weak in such sort of questions. If you have list or any sort of place to practice it, I would be extremely grateful.
Re: The more that is discovered about the intricate organization
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15 Jun 2022, 01:10
Expert Reply
Aakash0101raj wrote:
That was the best example I have seen. I am really thankful for that. I am weak in such sort of questions. If you have list or any sort of place to practice it, I would be extremely grateful.
questions dealing with roman numbers or rc passages in general ?
Re: The more that is discovered about the intricate organization
[#permalink]
09 Sep 2022, 21:02
Hello, all I took around 19 minutes and got 6/7. Now I am wondering if investing so much time in the passage is worth it not? This particular passage was more challenging than we usually encounter on GRE. Carcass how do we tackle such difficult passages?
Re: The more that is discovered about the intricate organization
[#permalink]
09 Sep 2022, 21:06
1
17. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
(A) Although studies of isogenic organisms have shown that all organisms are subject to developmental variations, there is still scientific debate over the exact causes of these variations. - Scientific debate? There are no mentions of any debate in the passage. If there were a debate there would mentions like XYZ scientist said this which was contradicted by abc scientist and so on and hence incorrect.
(B) Because of limitations on the amount of information contained in the genes of organisms, developing nervous systems are subject to two basic kinds of error, the likelihood of one of which is reduced only when the likelihood of the other is increased. - This is correct. This is the overall theme of the passage which is focused on explaining what is imprecision and what is gross mistake. Further, there are examples given to explain this. Relevant section of paragraph: “There exists a trade-off; the more precisely a system is specified, using a given limited amount of information, the greater the danger of gross mistakes. The overall scheme by which genetic information is rationed out in organisms, therefore, must involve a compromise between two conflicting priorities: precision and the avoidance of gross mistakes.”
(C) The complexity of an organism's genetic information means that much of the unusual variation that occurs among organisms can best be explained as the result of developmental mistakes. This is not what is being conveyed by the passage. This is just one of the examples out of the whole picture and hence incorrect.
(D) New findings about the nature of the genetic control of neural development support the work of; some scientists who argue that the computer is an extremely useful model for understanding the nervous system.
Computer is given just as an example or analogy. The main idea of the passage is not to explain that the computer is extremely useful model for understanding nervous system. (E) The major discovery made by scientists studying the genetic control of neural development is that both imprecision and gross developmental error can be traced to specific types of mutations in specific genes. There is no reference of development being traced to specific types of mutations.
18. According to the passage, one of the reasons it has been assumed that there is an important random element in human neural development is that
(A) genes cannot specify certain types of developmental processes as well as they can others - No mention of this in the passage. The question says “according to the passage” and hence the option needs to be mentioned explicity or at least in similar meaning. (B) the intricacy of the nervous system allows small developmental errors to occur without harmful effects - No mention of this in the passage. The question says “according to the passage” and hence the option needs to be mentioned explicity or at least in similar meaning.
(C). the amount of information contained in the genes is less than the amount necessary to specify the location of the neurons - This is exactly mentioned in the passage . Human genes contain too little information even to specify which hemisphere of the brain each of a human's 1011 neurons should occupy, let alone the hundreds of connections that each neuron makes. (D) the number of neurons in the human brain varies greatly from individual to individual No mention of this in the paragraph. In fact it is stating the opposite of the below. ETS is trying to confuse us. Human genes contain too little information even to specify which hemisphere of the brain each of a human's 1011 neurons should occupy
(E) it is theoretically impossible for an organism to protect itself completely from gross developmental mistakes The passage does not speak of this in fact what is says is : Thus, imprecision is a form of inaccuracy inherent within the limits of design, but mistakes are forms of gross fallibility. This means imprecision is something that will always be there but the passage is silent about whether prevention of gross mistakes is impossible.
Re: The more that is discovered about the intricate organization
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09 Sep 2022, 22:21
1
Expert Reply
akshayvmali wrote:
Hello, all I took around 19 minutes and got 6/7. Now I am wondering if investing so much time in the passage is worth it not? This particular passage was more challenging than we usually encounter on GRE. Carcass how do we tackle such difficult passages?
"It is universally accepted among information theorists that codes and languages can be made mistake-resistant by incorporating redundancy. However, since the amount of space available in any information system is limited, increased redundancy results in decreased precision."
as information theorists are says they will reduce the error by incorporating redundancy futher the another line says increased redundancy results in decreased precision. so they are contradicting?
And for Q24 Please highlight the line where they have discussed about this in paragraph "a description of the relationship between the phenomena denoted by each term"
gmatclubot
The more that is discovered about the intricate organization [#permalink]