Hey!
(reposted from MCAT Discussions)
So, i've got two question regarding Kaplan - Section Test 4. This is the Section Test that begins with a passage about the American Historical Association.
Passage 8: Ice Age, Glaciers, Volcano's, Oh My!
Question 51:
Relevant Section from Passage (for both questions):
... The Australian climate historian L.A. Frakes has prospected through the various theories proposed to account for those early ice ages. He isn't too terribly enthusiastic about any of the possible culprits, but his choice for the least unlikely of them all emerges out of the recent revival of what was once a radically unorthodox idea, that continents drift over the face of the planet. Frakes argues that the glaciers originated because the continents of the early earth had drifted to positions that took more and more of their land nearer to the polar regions. More land near the poles meant that more precipitation fell as snow and could be compacted on land to form glaciers. With enough glaciers, the increase in the amount of sunlight reflected back into space from the glistening white sheen of the ice effectively reduced the amount by which the sun warmed the earth, creating the feedback loop by which the growth of the glaciers encouraged the growth of more glaciers...
AND:
... It's also possible that volcanic eruptions had tossed enough dust into the atmosphere to screen out sunlight and cool the earth.
AND:
For example, a change in the earth's orbit could have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the planet. However, the only physical signature of such an event that would in the rocks would be the marks of the glaciers themselves...
Question 51:
Suppose paleontologists discovered that during geological periods of reduced sunlight, ancient forests died away, leaving fossilized remains. What is the relevance of this information the passage.
Italized equals my answer.
Bold equals correct answer.
A. It supports the claim that the dust from volcanic eruptions caused the ice ages. (earlier in the passage, this is briefly mentioned as having been able to blot out the sun)
B. It weakens the claim that dust from volcanic eruptions caused the ice ages.
C. It supports the claim that ice ages were accompanied by widespread loss of vegetation.
D. It weakens the claim that the only evidence of a change in orbit would be glacier marks.
I was able to get the questions down to A and D, but i chose A instead of D. It appears to me:
- Fossilized remains is not an indicator for a change in orbit. It means SOMETHING reduced sunlight (this makes me less likely to chose D.)
- It would support the claim that dust caused the ice ages, because, as indicated earlier in the passage, volcanic activity can cause a decrease in sunlight.
So, to me, this 'find' would DIRECTLY benefit A, but INDIRECTLY benefit D. Yet D is the correct answer, any insights?
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Question 53. Also reliant on the above quoted passages.
In order to evaluate Frakes's theory about the origin of the glaciers and the ice ages, it would be most helpful to know from him:
Italicized equals my answer.
Bold equals correct answer.
A. Why the idea of continental drift had fallen into disfavor in the past.
B. How much snow is required to form a glacier.
C. What would have broken the glacier growth feedback loop.
D. How soon the continents will again drift toward the polar regions.
To me, answer A is important because of their is a compelling reason why continental drift had fallen into disfavor in the past, it could potentially negate the entire argument.
If answer C is important, it simply negates something that's not covered by the theory. To me, this appears to be "beyond the passage."
Any thoughts? Insights? Ect?
(reposted from MCAT Discussions)
So, i've got two question regarding Kaplan - Section Test 4. This is the Section Test that begins with a passage about the American Historical Association.
Passage 8: Ice Age, Glaciers, Volcano's, Oh My!
Question 51:
Relevant Section from Passage (for both questions):
... The Australian climate historian L.A. Frakes has prospected through the various theories proposed to account for those early ice ages. He isn't too terribly enthusiastic about any of the possible culprits, but his choice for the least unlikely of them all emerges out of the recent revival of what was once a radically unorthodox idea, that continents drift over the face of the planet. Frakes argues that the glaciers originated because the continents of the early earth had drifted to positions that took more and more of their land nearer to the polar regions. More land near the poles meant that more precipitation fell as snow and could be compacted on land to form glaciers. With enough glaciers, the increase in the amount of sunlight reflected back into space from the glistening white sheen of the ice effectively reduced the amount by which the sun warmed the earth, creating the feedback loop by which the growth of the glaciers encouraged the growth of more glaciers...
AND:
... It's also possible that volcanic eruptions had tossed enough dust into the atmosphere to screen out sunlight and cool the earth.
AND:
For example, a change in the earth's orbit could have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the planet. However, the only physical signature of such an event that would in the rocks would be the marks of the glaciers themselves...
Question 51:
Suppose paleontologists discovered that during geological periods of reduced sunlight, ancient forests died away, leaving fossilized remains. What is the relevance of this information the passage.
Italized equals my answer.
Bold equals correct answer.
A. It supports the claim that the dust from volcanic eruptions caused the ice ages. (earlier in the passage, this is briefly mentioned as having been able to blot out the sun)
B. It weakens the claim that dust from volcanic eruptions caused the ice ages.
C. It supports the claim that ice ages were accompanied by widespread loss of vegetation.
D. It weakens the claim that the only evidence of a change in orbit would be glacier marks.
I was able to get the questions down to A and D, but i chose A instead of D. It appears to me:
- Fossilized remains is not an indicator for a change in orbit. It means SOMETHING reduced sunlight (this makes me less likely to chose D.)
- It would support the claim that dust caused the ice ages, because, as indicated earlier in the passage, volcanic activity can cause a decrease in sunlight.
So, to me, this 'find' would DIRECTLY benefit A, but INDIRECTLY benefit D. Yet D is the correct answer, any insights?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 53. Also reliant on the above quoted passages.
In order to evaluate Frakes's theory about the origin of the glaciers and the ice ages, it would be most helpful to know from him:
Italicized equals my answer.
Bold equals correct answer.
A. Why the idea of continental drift had fallen into disfavor in the past.
B. How much snow is required to form a glacier.
C. What would have broken the glacier growth feedback loop.
D. How soon the continents will again drift toward the polar regions.
To me, answer A is important because of their is a compelling reason why continental drift had fallen into disfavor in the past, it could potentially negate the entire argument.
If answer C is important, it simply negates something that's not covered by the theory. To me, this appears to be "beyond the passage."
Any thoughts? Insights? Ect?
