P. 318, Q16, 2014 version (RC bible)

[Brandonhsi]

Hello,

I am not sure why (D) is incorrect.

The reason I chose (D) instead of (A):

1. (D) uses the soft word, "suggest".
2. Moreover, (A) doesn't catch the squirrel evidence appearing in the end.

Thanks!

Brandon

[Dave Killoran]

Hey Brandon,

Can you check your page reference on this? I've looked for this problem in the LRB, but there's nothing on page 318 like this, and no #16 in the book

Thanks!

[Brandonhsi]

Hi Dave,

Sorry, I should have posted this one on RC bible section, not LR. Could you help on this RC question? Thanks!

Brandon

[Steve Stein]

Hi Brandon,

That's an interesting question, and one that speaks to the value of prephrasing. This is a Main Point question, so what is this whole passage about? It's about the pronghorn, and, as we are told in the first paragraph, the fact that the animal is capable of running much faster than it needs to considering the speed of existing predators. In the second paragraph, the author presents the concept of relict behavior as an explanation for the pronghorn's running prowess, and in the third paragraph the author provides support for this assertion. In the final paragraph, the author points to other examples of apparently relict behavior in the animal kingdom.

With the squirrel reference at the end of the passage, the author provides a single example in which relict behavior has not persisted indefinitely--but is that the Main Point of the passage? Probably not; if you were to prephrase the passage's main point, your prephrase would likely somehow involve the pronghorn, its running prowess, and the fact that its speed apparently may be attributable to relict behavior.

I hope that's helpful! Please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve

[Brandonhsi]

Thanks! However, I am still kind of confused. I am not sure why squirrel evidence wouldn't be part of MP.

Also, I think if (D) were presented without the squirrel evidence, it is the main point like (A) as well?

Brandon

[Steve Stein]

Hey Brandon,

Thanks for your response--you ask a good question. I don't mean to suggest that the squirrel evidence couldn't be mentioned in the right answer, but let's again consider the big picture components of the passage and try to roughly prephrase the author's main point:

Paragraph One: Introduce the pronghorn, which runs faster than it really needs to.
Paragraph Two: Introduce the idea of relict behavior and the skepticism about it,
Paragraph Three: Provide evidence that the pronghorn's speed is a relict behavior.
Paragraph Four: Provide other animal examples of relict behavior, and one possible example of a lost relict behavior.

If we were to attempt to prephrase the answer to this Main Point question, it would probably be something along these lines: Pronghorns are faster than they need to be, perhaps because of relict behavior; some are skeptical of this theory but evidence supports it as an explanation of pronghorn speed, and relict behavior appears to exist in other animals as well--though there is at least one example of a relict behavior that didn't last indefinitely.

This prephrase is too long to be the right answer verbatim! ...but it contains all of the integral elements of the passage, most of which are also mentioned in correct answer choice (A). With regard to answer choice (D), while the author does reference the fact that one such behavior appears to dissipate after millions of years, this is just part of the big picture.

Additionally, though the author mentions that some ground squirrels have apparently lost their innate fear of rattlesnakes, I"m not sure that one example would suggest that every type of relict behavior will eventually disappear.

I hope that's helpful! Please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve