PrepTest 73, Passage 1, Question 6
Question 6 asks us for the function of the second paragraph. And when a question does that, it's a purpose of a detail question or a purpose of a paragraph question, I guess. So these questions, take part of the argument and ask what was the author doing there? How did this relate to the author's overall agenda?
If you're reading the passage in the way you need to read them and taking the sorts of notes that you need to take, you'll have a pretty good prediction as to what the answer is going to be. If we look at our notes here, if we look at our notes, the second paragraph is where the author began by laying out the rest of the strict constructionists' view. Their view that adaptations had to do with reproductive success and then argued against them by saying if they were right, something would need to be true.
That is all mutations are all changes. We need to be adaptive, but then said that doesn't happen, so they're wrong. And then the rest of the passage after that goes on to give the examples or the reasons why they're wrong. So this paragraph is where the author finishes up talking about the strict instructions and then attacks them.
That's what we're gonna be looking for when we go to the answer choices. So answer choice A., it outlines the objections to traditional evolutionary theory raised by the strict constructionists mentioned in the first paragraph. Now this answer might be pretty tempting, because the paragraph does tell us the things the strict constructionists do wrong.
But the strict constructionist don't have objections to traditional evolutionary theory. If anything, they're like a traditional evolutionary theory on steroids. They don't object. They take that theory way too far. According to our author, they overextended so they don't object to traditional evolutionary theory.
Otherwise, this would be fine cuz it does outline their objections but answer choice A isn't what actually happened. So let's look at B. It lists recent evidence suggesting that the strict constructionist claims described in the first paragraph are incorrect. This is something the author does, just not in the second paragraph.
The author does this in the third and fourth paragraphs, right idea, wrong location. So B is not the answer. Answer choice C, it describes the strict constructionists' view of evolutionary theory in order to explain why the evidence described in subsequent paragraphs has recently gotten so much attention.
The first half of this is right. It does describe their view of evolutionary theory in order to explain why they're wrong, not why the evidence in the subsequent paragraphs has recently gotten so much attention. They're really hoping that you zoned out halfway through this answer choice and didn't read all the way to the end.
Answer choice D, it enumerates the arguments for the strict constructionist position that are rebutted in the paragraphs that follow. So the subsequent paragraphs, they do attack the strict constructionists. But this paragraph doesn't enumerate the arguments for their view. It says, here's something that would need to be true if they were right, but it's not true.
So we don't get arguments for why they're right. This is where the author goes on the attack. So D isn't our answer, which means that answer choice E must be our answer. Answer choice E, it explains the ramifications of the strict constructionists' claims, sure, and helps clarify the relevance of evidence offered in subsequent paragraphs.
Well, yeah, this is the part where the author says here's the rest of what they think and then the author turns on them. So answer choice E, definitely what we wanted. It is the answer.
Read full transcriptIf you're reading the passage in the way you need to read them and taking the sorts of notes that you need to take, you'll have a pretty good prediction as to what the answer is going to be. If we look at our notes here, if we look at our notes, the second paragraph is where the author began by laying out the rest of the strict constructionists' view. Their view that adaptations had to do with reproductive success and then argued against them by saying if they were right, something would need to be true.
That is all mutations are all changes. We need to be adaptive, but then said that doesn't happen, so they're wrong. And then the rest of the passage after that goes on to give the examples or the reasons why they're wrong. So this paragraph is where the author finishes up talking about the strict instructions and then attacks them.
That's what we're gonna be looking for when we go to the answer choices. So answer choice A., it outlines the objections to traditional evolutionary theory raised by the strict constructionists mentioned in the first paragraph. Now this answer might be pretty tempting, because the paragraph does tell us the things the strict constructionists do wrong.
But the strict constructionist don't have objections to traditional evolutionary theory. If anything, they're like a traditional evolutionary theory on steroids. They don't object. They take that theory way too far. According to our author, they overextended so they don't object to traditional evolutionary theory.
Otherwise, this would be fine cuz it does outline their objections but answer choice A isn't what actually happened. So let's look at B. It lists recent evidence suggesting that the strict constructionist claims described in the first paragraph are incorrect. This is something the author does, just not in the second paragraph.
The author does this in the third and fourth paragraphs, right idea, wrong location. So B is not the answer. Answer choice C, it describes the strict constructionists' view of evolutionary theory in order to explain why the evidence described in subsequent paragraphs has recently gotten so much attention.
The first half of this is right. It does describe their view of evolutionary theory in order to explain why they're wrong, not why the evidence in the subsequent paragraphs has recently gotten so much attention. They're really hoping that you zoned out halfway through this answer choice and didn't read all the way to the end.
Answer choice D, it enumerates the arguments for the strict constructionist position that are rebutted in the paragraphs that follow. So the subsequent paragraphs, they do attack the strict constructionists. But this paragraph doesn't enumerate the arguments for their view. It says, here's something that would need to be true if they were right, but it's not true.
So we don't get arguments for why they're right. This is where the author goes on the attack. So D isn't our answer, which means that answer choice E must be our answer. Answer choice E, it explains the ramifications of the strict constructionists' claims, sure, and helps clarify the relevance of evidence offered in subsequent paragraphs.
Well, yeah, this is the part where the author says here's the rest of what they think and then the author turns on them. So answer choice E, definitely what we wanted. It is the answer.
