The pronghorn, an antelope-like mammal that lives on the western plains of North America, is the continent's fastest land animal, capable of running 90 kilometers per hour and of doing so for several kilometers. βββ
Elaboration Β·Relict behavior can disappear over time
Arctic squirrel lost extinct predator avoidance behavior after 3m years.
Passage Style
Phenomenon-hypothesis
Single position
17.
Based on the passage, the ββββ ββββββββββ ββββββββββ βββββββ ββββββββ ββ βββ ββββββ ββββββββββ ββββ βββββββ ββββββ ββ βββββ βββ ββ βββ ββββββββββ
Question Type
Purpose in context (of word, phrase, or idea)
Structure
Testing explanations based on relict behaviors is difficult because of the βextinction of a principal component.β Earlier, weβre told that a relict behavior is a behavior that exists due to βlong-extinct environmental conditions.β Whatβs the βprincipal componentβ that is extinct, then? The environmental conditions that no longer exist, but that once allegedly caused evolutionary adaptations.
The βprincipal componentβ is something thatβs extinct. But βbehavior that persistsβ is behavior that continues...so itβs not extinct. Thatβs why (A) doesnβt make sense as the meaning of βprincipal component.β
b
the original organism βββββ ββββββββββββ ββββββββ ββ βββββ ββββββββββββ ββ ββββββ ββββββββ
As explained below the question stem, the βprincipal componentβ refers to the environmental conditions that are extinct, but that caused evolutionary adaptation of the behavior that we see today. Nothing in the passage suggests that the phrase refers to the original animal from which the animal whose relict behavior we are examining descended. (For example, the evolutionary ancestor of the pronghorn. Do biologists believe itβs difficult to test the relict behavior hypothesis for the pronghorn because the ancestor of the pronghorn no longer exists? No.)
The βprincipal componentβ is something thatβs extinct. The pronghornβs ability to run fast is something that exists today. So it doesnβt make sense for βprincipal componentβ to refer to the pronghornβs running speed.
This best captures the meaning of βprincipal componentβ for the reasons explained below the question stem.
e
an original behavior ββ ββ ββββββ ββ βββββ βββββββ βββββββββββ βββββββββ βββ βββββββ ββ ββ βββββββββββββ
Explanations based on relict behavior donβt involve changes to original behaviors. In fact, they involve behavior that hasnβt changed.
Difficulty
82% of people who answer get this correct
This is a moderately difficult question.
It is similar in difficulty to other questions in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%140
149
75%158
Analysis
Purpose in context (of word, phrase, or idea)
Structure
Phenomenon-hypothesis
Science
Single position
Answer Popularity
PopularityAvg. score
a
5%
155
b
10%
158
c
0%
149
d
82%
165
e
2%
157
Question history
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