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RC Step - 1

Description: GRE RC
Number of Questions: 11
Created by:
Tags: GRE RC Purpose Inference Source/Identity Weaken Critical Reasoning Vocabulary in context
Attempted 0/10 Correct 0 Score 0

What, if true, would be the best reason why the sales of CFL didn't show any rise?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

The city of Orgville introduced discounts for people who use CFL. This was done with an aim to reduce the electricity consumption of the city. The Electricity Board compared the new bills with the previous ones and decided whether a household was eligible for discount or not. The program was a huge success and majority of the residents availed of the discounts. But the retailers reported no increase in the sales of CFL after the announcement of the discount program.

  1. CFLs didn't produce as much light as claimed by the manufacturers.

  2. CFLs could not withstand voltage fluctuations and were repeatedly replaced by the residents, ultimately by the fluorescent lamps.

  3. The residents became more alert to energy conservation measures.

  4. The residents borrowed CFLs temporarily to claim discounts in electricity bills.


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

(1): Incorrect. We have to reconcile stagnant sales with success of program. The light output of CFLs doesn't materially affect the contradiction. (2): Incorrect. The replacement by fluorescent lamps would add to the power consumption and heighten the contradiction. (3): Correct. The criterion adopted for claiming discount was the saving in power consumption actually effected; so the people conserved power to claim discount, with CFL or without CFL. (4): Incorrect. Borrowing of CFLs for a few days would not lower bills. (5): Incorrect. If bought after launch of program, these would still increase sales.

What is the critical completion of the passage?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

It is the arbitrary exemptions from the law provided to the privileged - often violent - sections among the less privileged that are the basis of the widespread sense of injustice, and of the collapse of the authority and legitimacy of the justice system, that would be more correctly identified as the    'root cause' of the pervasive sense of injury than any other failure of the state. Yet, we are constantly told, that we must create even more exceptions to the application of the law to accommodate these forces of violent disruption in order to address this sense of injury.

  1. Wow!

  2. Rubbing salt into the wounds!

  3. Squaring a problem does not halve it!

  4. Such a vicious irony!

  5. Ever heard of it?


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

(1): Incorrect. Wow is used as an expression of praise or pleasant surprise. (2): Incorrect. The argument is about 'addressing the injury' by doing more of the same, not rubbing of salt or exacerbating the injury. (3): Incorrect. Creating more exceptions does not necessarily square the problems. (4): Correct. An irony is implied when the cause and cure are caused by the same instrument. In this case, remedy being worse than the malady which it is supposed to cure, creates the irony. (5): Incorrect. The phrase is used to imply something outrageously bizarre.

Which of the following, if true, could seriously weaken the premises of the given argument?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Serious concern has been expressed by analysts over the declining budget outlays for US defense, especially in view of the continuing threat perception to its security.

During the present President’s tenure, the budget has showed an increase of 5% each year in contrast with the previous regime, during which the annual rate of budget increase was 9%. Evidently, the slim budgets have played havoc with American plans of re-emerging as a major global military power. With a drop in defense spending, a lot of projects still remain pending.

 

  1. The rate of inflation during the present regime has decreased. At present it is 3% while earlier it was 11%.

  2. The salaries of defense personnel have stayed almost the same over the years.

  3. The present regime has seen some increase in defense spending every year.

  4. The present government has introduced several economy measures for the Armed Forces, including a cut in arms requirements.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

(1): Correct. The principal logic of the author is since the stated amount of increase is lesser this time, the present regime is not spending enough. But in the process, inflation rate, another significant consideration, which will decide the effective increase, which has been given a go-bye. Herein lies the crux of the problem. (2): Incorrect. The salaries of defense personnel remaining the same, contributes only partially to negate the idea. Salaries might form only a small component of defense spending. (3): Incorrect. 'Some increase' (5%) only supports the argument. (4): Incorrect. (D) only serves to support the logic given in the question, while in fact, we are supposed to negate it. (5): Incorrect. (5), at the most, is big political rhetoric, which is pretty general and does not make any specific reference to the question in hand.

Which of the following is a major problem in uncovering the genetic basis of autism in terms of the conventional approach?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Autism has a strong genetic component: With one identical twin autistic, the other has a 70 percent chance of having it, a risk 10 times that of fraternal twins. Yet great, unsuccessful effort has been spent looking for its genetics. To Wigler, the key lies in spontaneous mutations - novel alterations in the parental germ line of the offspring. Last year he formed a controversial theory for it. It suggests that females, who develop autism with a 1/4th frequency with which males do, may carry the genetic profile for it.

Wigler attributes the failure of conventional studies to their studies on families with more than one autistic child to search for differences in one genetic base. These differences could be any alteration in a base called SNPs.  Uncovering SNPs shared by affected people would uncover high-risk people. The problem is locating the same target: they have implicated loci on 20 of the 23 human chromosomal pairs.

In his first autistic research, Wigler, with Sebat, tried to determine the role of spontaneous mutations, called copy number variations. Before human genome sequencing, researchers thought an individual always had two copies of a gene. In 2004, the team showed that even in healthy individuals, they could go missing from (or be added to) the genome via genetic rearrangements. Studies on families with only one autistic member showed that up to 10 percent of non-inherited autism cases could be caused by these rearrangements. They found that the structural events were primarily deletions, leaving individuals with only one copy of a particular gene and leading, sometimes, to its functional disruption.

Later, Wigler unveiled a unified genetic theory, which he cobbled together by examining families with multiple autistic individuals and incorporating both hereditary and spontaneous events. Focusing on families with the first two children affected, he found that third-born male children have a 50 percent risk of acquiring the disorder, whereas the risk for third-born girls is closer to 20 percent. From there, Wigler developed a two-tiered hypothesis: The majority fall into the low-risk category, having spontaneous mutation. Contrarily, high-risk families - 25 percent of all, manifest the disease when an unaffected individual, mostly female, carries a sporadic mutation. In case of a male, the chances are roughly half.

Although Wigler’s model is seen as a simpler way to view the genetics of autism, others find it incomplete. Critics note that it does not explain observations of families with an autistic child in which either second- or third-degree relatives are also affected or in which first-degree relatives show mild symptoms. And the model fails to explain why girls do not get autism as frequently as boys. Wigler believes that more data might help prove him. For instance, the girl-boy discrepancy could be explained if the genetic modifiers are sex-specific, an effect that might become apparent if researchers look at cases in which a normal mother has an autistic daughter.

  1. Too many chromosomes are responsible for it.

  2. There is great, complex interaction among different chromosomes responsible for autism, which is not amenable to studies.

  3. There is no clarity as to which chromosome is responsible for autism.

  4. Not enough subjects are available for studies.

  5. It is difficult to determine the role of spontaniety.


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Options (1) and (2) run contrary to what is given in the passage. Thus, they are not justified. There is nothing said about the subjects available for study even, thereby ruling out option (4). Nor is spontaniety a consideration here. Refer to the last lines of paragraph 2 for the correct answer: “The problem is locating the same target: they have implicated loci on 20 of the 23 human chromosomal pairs.”

Which of the following is most nearly CORRECT in he context of the above passage?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Autism has a strong genetic component: With one identical twin autistic, the other has a 70 percent chance of having it, a risk 10 times that of fraternal twins. Yet great, unsuccessful effort has been spent looking for its genetics. To Wigler, the key lies in spontaneous mutations - novel alterations in the parental germ line of the offspring. Last year he formed a controversial theory for it. It suggests that females, who develop autism with a 1/4th frequency with which males do, may carry the genetic profile for it.

Wigler attributes the failure of conventional studies to their studies on families with more than one autistic child to search for differences in one genetic base. These differences could be any alteration in a base called SNPs.  Uncovering SNPs shared by affected people would uncover high-risk people. The problem is locating the same target: they have implicated loci on 20 of the 23 human chromosomal pairs.

In his first autistic research, Wigler, with Sebat, tried to determine the role of spontaneous mutations, called copy number variations. Before human genome sequencing, researchers thought an individual always had two copies of a gene. In 2004, the team showed that even in healthy individuals, they could go missing from (or be added to) the genome via genetic rearrangements. Studies on families with only one autistic member showed that up to 10 percent of non-inherited autism cases could be caused by these rearrangements. They found that the structural events were primarily deletions, leaving individuals with only one copy of a particular gene and leading, sometimes, to its functional disruption.

Later, Wigler unveiled a unified genetic theory, which he cobbled together by examining families with multiple autistic individuals and incorporating both hereditary and spontaneous events. Focusing on families with the first two children affected, he found that third-born male children have a 50 percent risk of acquiring the disorder, whereas the risk for third-born girls is closer to 20 percent. From there, Wigler developed a two-tiered hypothesis: The majority fall into the low-risk category, having spontaneous mutation. Contrarily, high-risk families - 25 percent of all, manifest the disease when an unaffected individual, mostly female, carries a sporadic mutation. In case of a male, the chances are roughly half.

Although Wigler’s model is seen as a simpler way to view the genetics of autism, others find it incomplete. Critics note that it does not explain observations of families with an autistic child in which either second- or third-degree relatives are also affected or in which first-degree relatives show mild symptoms. And the model fails to explain why girls do not get autism as frequently as boys. Wigler believes that more data might help prove him. For instance, the girl-boy discrepancy could be explained if the genetic modifiers are sex-specific, an effect that might become apparent if researchers look at cases in which a normal mother has an autistic daughter.

  1. High risk families often have a male carrying a sporadic mutation leading to autism.

  2. An individual having a functional disruption in a single gene, because the other copy has been deleted, is a very common occurrence.

  3. The unified genetic theory of autism combines elements from two different theories and gives an integrated picture.

  4. In case of families with multiple affected members, the males have a greater risk of being autistic as compared to females.

  5. Families with three or more children are at greater risk of having an autistic child.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Option (1) is wrong as it is the females that have a greater chance of getting the disease in such cases, according to the passage. Option (2) is again unjustified in that the total number of such cases does not exceed 10 percent, which does account for the phrase, a very common occurrence in the option. Option (3) runs contrary to the passage, as Wigler has only given one theory incorporating both hereditary and spontaneous factors. So there are no theories here. Option (5) makes too sweeping a statement. “He found that third-born male children have a 50 percent risk of acquiring the disorder”. Hence, option (4) is the best one.

All the following are characteristics of the people sitting at the father's table, except

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

When universal darkness strikes, a cheering gleam appears within the folds of conservative Christianity. While religious leaders are mere substitute of true spiritual teachers, they are just preaching the Gospel of Christ without even understanding the true potency of the verses. They teach lofty sermons but their lives are devoid of the truths they preach.

There are a few who really care. They are the ones who truly desire God. They go by the laws of virtue, endorsed by Christianity, in the hope that they would evolve as the true sons of God. They are the starved souls who can get satisfaction from God Himself and not from the leaders seated at the father’s table.

The few who fear God have a growing hunger for knowledge about Him. Their life revolves around the peripherals of spiritualism. But their souls are still full of discontent seeking the right interpretation of Truth. Still they are the only harbingers of revival. They are small in number but they are the future precursors of religion, our only hope.

  1. they are well versed with Christian sermons and preach them ardently

  2. they are the proclaimed 'sons of God'

  3. they propagate spiritualism

  4. they are learned enough to preach the Gospel of Christ

  5. theirs is a life of pursuit, not gains


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Option (1): It is mentioned in the first paragraph of the passage that people who are well versed with Christian sermons and who preach them ardently are sitting at the father's table. Option (2): 'Sons of' is not a characteristic, but an outcome of a characteristic pursuit. Also, 'proclaimed' makes it something of a status that can be linked with the clergy only. Thus, the option is eliminated. Option (3): “Leaders seated at the father's table” officially propagates spiritualism. Thus, the option is eliminated. Option (4): “Leaders seated at the father's table” are learned enough to preach. Thus, the option is eliminated. Option (5): “Leaders seated at the father's table” does not satisfy “the starved souls who can get satisfaction (only) from God Himself”. Thus, the option is the correct answer.

Which of the following purposes is served by the first paragraph in relation to the passage as a whole?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Autism has a strong genetic component: With one identical twin autistic, the other has a 70 percent chance of having it, a risk 10 times that of fraternal twins. Yet great, unsuccessful effort has been spent looking for its genetics. To Wigler, the key lies in spontaneous mutations - novel alterations in the parental germ line of the offspring. Last year he formed a controversial theory for it. It suggests that females, who develop autism with a 1/4th frequency with which males do, may carry the genetic profile for it.

Wigler attributes the failure of conventional studies to their studies on families with more than one autistic child to search for differences in one genetic base. These differences could be any alteration in a base called SNPs.  Uncovering SNPs shared by affected people would uncover high-risk people. The problem is locating the same target: they have implicated loci on 20 of the 23 human chromosomal pairs.

In his first autistic research, Wigler, with Sebat, tried to determine the role of spontaneous mutations, called copy number variations. Before human genome sequencing, researchers thought an individual always had two copies of a gene. In 2004, the team showed that even in healthy individuals, they could go missing from (or be added to) the genome via genetic rearrangements. Studies on families with only one autistic member showed that up to 10 percent of non-inherited autism cases could be caused by these rearrangements. They found that the structural events were primarily deletions, leaving individuals with only one copy of a particular gene and leading, sometimes, to its functional disruption.

Later, Wigler unveiled a unified genetic theory, which he cobbled together by examining families with multiple autistic individuals and incorporating both hereditary and spontaneous events. Focusing on families with the first two children affected, he found that third-born male children have a 50 percent risk of acquiring the disorder, whereas the risk for third-born girls is closer to 20 percent. From there, Wigler developed a two-tiered hypothesis: The majority fall into the low-risk category, having spontaneous mutation. Contrarily, high-risk families - 25 percent of all, manifest the disease when an unaffected individual, mostly female, carries a sporadic mutation. In case of a male, the chances are roughly half.

Although Wigler’s model is seen as a simpler way to view the genetics of autism, others find it incomplete. Critics note that it does not explain observations of families with an autistic child in which either second- or third-degree relatives are also affected or in which first-degree relatives show mild symptoms. And the model fails to explain why girls do not get autism as frequently as boys. Wigler believes that more data might help prove him. For instance, the girl-boy discrepancy could be explained if the genetic modifiers are sex-specific, an effect that might become apparent if researchers look at cases in which a normal mother has an autistic daughter.

  1. It sums up a major point of discussion, which is being explained by the rest of the passage.

  2. It sums up a major point of discussion, with the rest of the passage trying to explain why the efforts to decode autism have been unsuccessful.

  3. It discusses Wigler’s work and how it has been instrumental in accounting for genetic basis of autism.

  4. It highlights a major point i.e. females carry autism more frequently and the rest of the passages discusses the reasons for it.

  5. It highlights a major unanswered question in autism research and the rest of the passage is again silent on it.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

The failure of efforts to decode the genetic basis of autism is only one of the many points being made by the writer. Hence option (2) is definitely wrong here. The opening paragraph does talk about Wigler’s work but nowhere does it suggest that his work has been instrumental in this regard. Rather, it has got mixed results; there is nothing conclusive or final in this regard. Hence, option (3) is not justified here. Option (4) goes contrary to the contents of the first paragraph, which says that it is much commoner among males rather than in females. There is no question given in the first paragraph at all. So option (5) is wrong ab initio. Hence, option (1) is the best possible under given circumstances.

The primary purpose of the passage is to

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

A very interesting legal, moral and ethical war is being fought in the corridors of power in California these days. Californians, along with the rest of the Americans are going to the midterm electoral voting and apart from electing representatives to the Houses of government, they alone will also be voting on something called Article-19 which is basically a public referendum on the legalization of the home growing and self-consumption of Cannabis. The slugfest isn’t likely to be one-sided or even pretty with the proponents on both sides of the clearly demarcated raging line of fire invoking anything and everything to bolster their point of view. God, freedom of choice, disempowerment of the drug cartels, a steroidal kick start to the rapidly sinking economy, innate prejudices and just plain old  and countless other factors make this issue a melting pot that is the mother of all disagreements.

At the heart of the matter is perhaps the fact that America remains deep down a very conservative nation, irrespective of its postulations and reputation to the contrary and something that has been a part of the lifestyle for so long will take some beating to get rid of. Opponents of the Article cite the societal, financial and health damage caused by the legalized drugs like tobacco and alcohol whereas the rooters for the drug affectionately called Mary Jane cite the same reasons, with no dearth of logic, in favor of the legalization of what is easily the most used drug in the world. They say that legalizing the drug’s home cultivation and consumption, while keeping in place the laws on the sale of the same, will dismember the ability of the Mexican drug cartels to buy more guns and goons to further their nefarious designs and also that doing away with the criminalization of the drug will ensure that the government will earn a lot in revenue as taxes from Cannabis growers. They also point towards research that suggests that Pot perhaps isn’t as harmful to the human body as the other legalized drugs which rake in millions of dollars every year for the government in tax money. After all, wasn’t the prohibition during the thirties more harmful than good and didn’t lifting it lead to the demise of the clout of the bootleggers? What is surprising is the fact that cannabis was legal in California up until seven decades ago and that in itself gives strength to the voices of those who are championing for giving the drug an above the board status. They cite evidence showing that prisons are overcrowded, justice and police departments overworked and trials delayed due to the intransigence of the federal government in waking up to the fact that freeing the authorities of looking out for these petty misdemeanors will allow them to work at catching real criminals while letting the peaceniks have a drag.

  1. present a radical idea and its vulnerabilities

  2. describe a situation and its potential repercussions

  3. propose a temporary solution to a problem

  4. analyze a frequent source of disagreement

  5. explore the implications of a suggestion


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

(1) Incorrect; the idea is radical, but the passage focuses more on its strengths. (2): Incorrect; the passage describes a stand-off and veers towards the benefits of change. (3): Incorrect; the passage reports both sides with a bias towards the ones advocating legalizing of cannabis. (4): Correct; the passage analyses the cannabis problem and slightly favors legalizing it. (5): Incorrect; it highlights benefits rather than implications.

Which of the following could have been the most suitable title for the above passage?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Autism has a strong genetic component: With one identical twin autistic, the other has a 70 percent chance of having it, a risk 10 times that of fraternal twins. Yet great, unsuccessful effort has been spent looking for its genetics. To Wigler, the key lies in spontaneous mutations - novel alterations in the parental germ line of the offspring. Last year he formed a controversial theory for it. It suggests that females, who develop autism with a 1/4th frequency with which males do, may carry the genetic profile for it.

Wigler attributes the failure of conventional studies to their studies on families with more than one autistic child to search for differences in one genetic base. These differences could be any alteration in a base called SNPs.  Uncovering SNPs shared by affected people would uncover high-risk people. The problem is locating the same target: they have implicated loci on 20 of the 23 human chromosomal pairs.

In his first autistic research, Wigler, with Sebat, tried to determine the role of spontaneous mutations, called copy number variations. Before human genome sequencing, researchers thought an individual always had two copies of a gene. In 2004, the team showed that even in healthy individuals, they could go missing from (or be added to) the genome via genetic rearrangements. Studies on families with only one autistic member showed that up to 10 percent of non-inherited autism cases could be caused by these rearrangements. They found that the structural events were primarily deletions, leaving individuals with only one copy of a particular gene and leading, sometimes, to its functional disruption.

Later, Wigler unveiled a unified genetic theory, which he cobbled together by examining families with multiple autistic individuals and incorporating both hereditary and spontaneous events. Focusing on families with the first two children affected, he found that third-born male children have a 50 percent risk of acquiring the disorder, whereas the risk for third-born girls is closer to 20 percent. From there, Wigler developed a two-tiered hypothesis: The majority fall into the low-risk category, having spontaneous mutation. Contrarily, high-risk families - 25 percent of all, manifest the disease when an unaffected individual, mostly female, carries a sporadic mutation. In case of a male, the chances are roughly half.

Although Wigler’s model is seen as a simpler way to view the genetics of autism, others find it incomplete. Critics note that it does not explain observations of families with an autistic child in which either second- or third-degree relatives are also affected or in which first-degree relatives show mild symptoms. And the model fails to explain why girls do not get autism as frequently as boys. Wigler believes that more data might help prove him. For instance, the girl-boy discrepancy could be explained if the genetic modifiers are sex-specific, an effect that might become apparent if researchers look at cases in which a normal mother has an autistic daughter.

  1. Autistic Research: Some New Trends

  2. Wigler’s Work on Autism: Some Unanswered Questions

  3. The Genetic Basis of Autism: Wigler’s Work

  4. The Failure of Conventional Studies on Autism

  5. How Spontaneous Mutations Cause Autism


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

Option (1) talks of some new trends, while the passage discusses only one trend: the genetics of autism. Hence, it is not justified Option (2) hints at some unanswered questions which basically refers to the critics’ viewpoint. In fact, it does not tell the whole story, it is only part of it. Not every comprehensive answer, and is therefore, rejected. Option (3) is the best one as it sums up nicely the idea of Wigler’s work on genetic basis of autism being the focus of the entire discussion. Option (4) again alludes to a secondary aspect raised by Wigler, but it does incorporate the entire passage. Option (5) ignores everything else and focuses only on spontaneous mutations. In order to be correct, it has to include something more.

The phrase 'harbingers of revival' has been used for

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

When universal darkness strikes, a cheering gleam appears within the folds of conservative Christianity. While religious leaders are mere substitute of true spiritual teachers, they are just preaching the Gospel of Christ without even understanding the true potency of the verses. They teach lofty sermons but their lives are devoid of the truths they preach.

There are a few who really care. They are the ones who truly desire God. They go by the laws of virtue, endorsed by Christianity, in the hope that they would evolve as the true sons of God. They are the starved souls who can get satisfaction from God Himself and not from the leaders seated at the father’s table.

The few who fear God have a growing hunger for knowledge about Him. Their life revolves around the peripherals of spiritualism. But their souls are still full of discontent seeking the right interpretation of Truth. Still they are the only harbingers of revival. They are small in number but they are the future precursors of religion, our only hope.

  1. self-proclaimed propagators of religion

  2. the clergy that sits at the citadel of church

  3. the faithful who have tried to revive the good name of Christ

  4. Christians who follow the religious tenets to maintain traditional virtue

  5. Christians who seek truth and follow Christianity for the love of the Almighty


Correct Option: E
Explanation:

Option (1): “Self-proclaimed” has negative connotation. Option (2): The “religious leaders are mere substitute of true spiritual teachers… They teach lofty sermons but their lives are devoid of the truths they preach.” Option (3): Nothing is discussed about “revival” or the name of Christ. Option (4): The phrase is not used for Christians who follow the religious tenets, but for those who seek truth and follow Christianity because of their love for God. Option (5): The phrase is used for the Christians who seek truth and follow Christianity because of their love for God. “But their souls are still full of discontent seeking the right interpretation of Truth” makes this answer correct.

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