#16 - Specific Reference, Must Be True, Purpose/Function

[avengingangel]

Can someone please explain why D is superior to A? I chose D, but feel like A is also right, since it pretty much says it in the passage (lines 21-22: ...that is the engine of biological history..."). Thanks.

[David Boyle]

Can someone please explain why D is superior to A? I chose D, but feel like A is also right, since it pretty much says it in the passage (lines 21-22: ...that is the engine of biological history..."). Thanks.

Hello,

Answer A, "identify one of the driving forces of biological history", is not true, because that is just what some biologists think; it may not be true in real life. Answer D is right because the "struggle" is merely one example of how determinist biologists might think.

David

[Roadto170]

While I understand why D is correct, which can be found in the previous sentence, can you explain why A is incorrect? Put another way, does this question need to pass the Fact Test, which would stipulate that A must be proven in the stimulus.

If that is the case, could an answer choice that said "identify one of the driving forces of biological history according to evolutionary biologists" be correct?

This is the reference in question... "In formulating the notion of a universal "struggle for existence" that is the engine of biological history".

Thanks!

[Jeff Wren]

Hi Roadto170,

These "purpose" questions are basically asking why did the author include a particular word or phrase. Often the best approach to answering these questions is to "zoom out" and consider what the purpose is of the entire paragraph that contains the cited word or phrase. Generally, the answer to the purpose of this particular word/phrase is to support the purpose of the paragraph, often by providing an example.

The words "struggle for existence" appear in the second paragraph. The second paragraph introduces a second group who view science as a set of universal laws. This second group is a subset of evolutionary biologists. This is indicated by the description "some evolutionary biologists"(my emphasis)(line 17). This group is later referred to as "biological determinists" (line 42). It would be a mistake to just describe this group as "evolutionary biologists" in general, as it is entirely possible (even likely) that other evolutionary biologists do not share this view.

In this context, the discussion of "struggle for existence" is an example of the view/application of this idea for the biological determinists. This is most closely captured in Answer D.

(To be clear, the second paragraph also introduces a different group of biologists who favor the historical contingency side of the debate over the set of universal laws, but this comes after the cited phrase that the question is about.)

While these purpose questions are a type of Must Be True question (and therefore follow the Fact Test), to correctly answer these questions you need to consider the context of the words in question and the relation of the words to the paragraph and the overall passage. In other words, just because an answer states something that appears in the passage does not make it correct.

A key point to correctly answering these questions is to distinguish the author's viewpoint from other viewpoints. Answer A describes the viewpoint of the biological determinists, not that of the author.

Your amended Answer A "identify one of the driving forces of biological history according to evolutionary biologists" would be better than the original (although it would need to be "according to the biological determinists" rather than the evolutionary biologists in general, for the reasons explained above). Even so, this answer isn't really explaining why the author is identifying this driving force, whereas Answer D ties it into the larger debate over viewing science as a set of universal laws.

[Roadto170]

Often the best approach to answering these questions is to "zoom out" and consider what the purpose is of the entire paragraph that contains the cited word or phrase. Generally, the answer to the purpose of this particular word/phrase is to support the purpose of the paragraph, often by providing an example.

That makes a lot more sense. This passage was especially confusing because of the presentation of numerous alternate viewpoints that were interwoven closely and discussed complicated subject matter. I think you explain cleared up part of my problem: I thought that the question was addressing how "struggle for existence" functioned within the arguments of determinist biologists, not the author's reason for choosing that.

Thank you for your insight I will strive to note that on subsequent sections!