PT12.S3.Q21 (P4) - How does the brain know when carbohydrates

Regis_Phalange63Regis_Phalange63 Alum Member
edited October 2018 in Reading Comprehension 1058 karma

Hi y'all,

It's the passage about serotonin and I have a quick question. I was down to A and D and chose D and then switched to A. At first I was drawn to D because it said the body's desire for carbs CAN BE influenced by serotonin... And the second sentence in the first paragraph says "The answer to this question IS NOT KNOWN but ... SEEMS TO BE... SEROTONIN..." Not known/seems to be matches with Can be in the answer choice whereas A) says VARIES with. The author is less confident than that. Was I thinking the right way the first time?

Thank you!

Admin note: edited title
https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-12-section-3-passage-4-passage/
https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-12-section-3-passage-4-questions/

Comments

  • eRetakereRetaker Free Trial Member
    2043 karma

    @Regis_Phalange63 said:
    Hi y'all,

    It's the passage about serotonin and I have a quick question. I was down to A and D and chose D and then switched to A. At first I was drawn to D because it said the body's desire for carbs CAN BE influenced by serotonin... And the second sentence in the first paragraph says "The answer to this question IS NOT KNOWN but ... SEEMS TO BE... SEROTONIN..." Not known/seems to be matches with Can be in the answer choice whereas A) says VARIES with. The author is less confident than that. Was I thinking the right way the first time?

    Thank you!

    Admin note: edited title
    https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-12-section-3-passage-4-passage/
    https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-12-section-3-passage-4-questions/

    I think you're in the right track for answer choice D since it is the safest choice that specifies, as you stated, the "can be influenced" aspect of the entire passage.

    The reason why A is incorrect is a bit more subtle, but you will need to pay close attention to the action verb. In the passage it states that the lack of serotonin induces a craving for carbohydrates. However, answer choice A curiously uses the word "need," which would be an incorrect characterization of what a craving actually is. A would be a more acceptable answer if it had said "The body's want for carbohydrates varies with the level of serotonin in the blood."

    Thus, A is incorrect because the body doesn't actually need more carbs just because serotonin is low but just that it creates a desire which D states pretty well. In general science passages are simple to understand but they try to distract you with sheer volume of details that makes you unable to notice the subtleties.

  • Regis_Phalange63Regis_Phalange63 Alum Member
    1058 karma

    @eRetaker said:

    @Regis_Phalange63 said:
    Hi y'all,

    It's the passage about serotonin and I have a quick question. I was down to A and D and chose D and then switched to A. At first I was drawn to D because it said the body's desire for carbs CAN BE influenced by serotonin... And the second sentence in the first paragraph says "The answer to this question IS NOT KNOWN but ... SEEMS TO BE... SEROTONIN..." Not known/seems to be matches with Can be in the answer choice whereas A) says VARIES with. The author is less confident than that. Was I thinking the right way the first time?

    Thank you!

    Admin note: edited title
    https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-12-section-3-passage-4-passage/
    https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-12-section-3-passage-4-questions/

    I think you're in the right track for answer choice D since it is the safest choice that specifies, as you stated, the "can be influenced" aspect of the entire passage.

    The reason why A is incorrect is a bit more subtle, but you will need to pay close attention to the action verb. In the passage it states that the lack of serotonin induces a craving for carbohydrates. However, answer choice A curiously uses the word "need," which would be an incorrect characterization of what a craving actually is. A would be a more acceptable answer if it had said "The body's want for carbohydrates varies with the level of serotonin in the blood."

    Thus, A is incorrect because the body doesn't actually need more carbs just because serotonin is low but just that it creates a desire which D states pretty well. In general science passages are simple to understand but they try to distract you with sheer volume of details that makes you unable to notice the subtleties.

    @eRetaker Thank you. Btw, have I mentioned that I'm a biiiiig fan of yours before? If not, here it is: I truly am a fan of yours. Thank you so much.

  • eRetakereRetaker Free Trial Member
    2043 karma

    @Regis_Phalange63 said:

    @eRetaker said:

    @Regis_Phalange63 said:
    Hi y'all,

    It's the passage about serotonin and I have a quick question. I was down to A and D and chose D and then switched to A. At first I was drawn to D because it said the body's desire for carbs CAN BE influenced by serotonin... And the second sentence in the first paragraph says "The answer to this question IS NOT KNOWN but ... SEEMS TO BE... SEROTONIN..." Not known/seems to be matches with Can be in the answer choice whereas A) says VARIES with. The author is less confident than that. Was I thinking the right way the first time?

    Thank you!

    Admin note: edited title
    https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-12-section-3-passage-4-passage/
    https://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-12-section-3-passage-4-questions/

    I think you're in the right track for answer choice D since it is the safest choice that specifies, as you stated, the "can be influenced" aspect of the entire passage.

    The reason why A is incorrect is a bit more subtle, but you will need to pay close attention to the action verb. In the passage it states that the lack of serotonin induces a craving for carbohydrates. However, answer choice A curiously uses the word "need," which would be an incorrect characterization of what a craving actually is. A would be a more acceptable answer if it had said "The body's want for carbohydrates varies with the level of serotonin in the blood."

    Thus, A is incorrect because the body doesn't actually need more carbs just because serotonin is low but just that it creates a desire which D states pretty well. In general science passages are simple to understand but they try to distract you with sheer volume of details that makes you unable to notice the subtleties.

    @eRetaker Thank you. Btw, have I mentioned that I'm a biiiiig fan of yours before? If not, here it is: I truly am a fan of yours. Thank you so much.

    Yeah, no problem and thanks for the kind comment. I am always glad to see others putting in the work and committing themselves to the study grind :smiley:

Sign In or Register to comment.