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

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (E).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice.


This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[Sdaoud17]

Just to confirm E is Better than A because A is taking about the 5th Paragraph?

Thank you

[Steve Stein]

Thanks for your question.

In that one, the author uses the last sentence to discuss the ethical issue with genetic engineers' potentially gaining the power to engineer humans for specific roles. Correct answer choice E discusses this illustration of sociopolitical ramifications. Incorrect answer choice A discusses medical dangers associated with rDNA technology.

I hope that's helpful! Let me know--thanks!

~Steve

[Sdaoud17]

Thank you for confirming that C wrong is because " medical dangers associated with rDNA technology. " would you mind confirm that A is wrong because A is taking about the 5th Paragraph not the last. is that correct ?


Thank you

[Steve Stein]

The author uses the last sentence to discuss the ethical issue with genetic engineers' potentially gaining the power to engineer humans for specific roles. Correct answer choice E discusses this illustration of sociopolitical ramifications. Incorrect answer choice A discusses medical dangers associated with rDNA technology. The fifth paragraph is described by answer choice C--more about upsetting the balance of nature than about medical concerns per se.

I hope that's helpful! Let me know--thanks!

~Steve

[Sdaoud17]

Yes thank you

[ashleys13]

Hi! I was able to narrow these choices down to C and E but ended up choosing C because I thought the "sociopolitical ramifications" referenced weren't as important as the imbalance of nature/genetic engineering, etc. But as I'm reading the last sentence through again, is E correct because the last sentences includes literally a synonym of ramifications - "implications of such power" AND specifically references "genetic engineers... tinkering with human genes."? Thanks!!

[James Finch]

Hi Ashley,

Exactly right! The difference between answer choices (C) and (E) are that (E) contains a synonymous term for the "ramifications" mentioned, while (C) deals with a broader idea ("upsetting the balance of nature" vs. "genetic engineering") that is beyond the scope of the text; "upsetting the balance of nature" could potentially refer to almost any type of human activity, from deforestation to building vehicles, and is far beyond the more specific issues surrounding genetic engineering discussed in the passage. So (C) ends up only being half-right, while (E) is completely within the scope needed to answer the question.

Good job!

[SGD2021]

I'm still having a hard time eliminating C because the last paragraph does say "it gives scientists the power to instantly cross evolutionary and species boundaries that nature took millennia to establish." It seems to me the main reason I would eliminate C is because it reflects too much author's attitude by saying "WARN of the possible disasters..." which seems too strong since the author doesn't really warn since he's not very present. Would it be a good reason to eliminate C because it presents author's attitude that is too strong?

[Robert Carroll]

SGD2021,

The author's attitude is in that sentence, so that's not the reason answer choice (C) is incorrect. The last sentence is not repeating the sentence before it, but going beyond it - the implications would be PARTICULARLY profound if...and then there's another consequence, different from the one in the previous sentence. If you think answer choice (C) is a good description of the sentence before the last one, that's exactly why answer choice (C) would be incorrect - we're trying to explain the purpose of the last sentence of the passage, which is different.

Robert Carroll