Nature is Crammed with Devices to Protect and Maintain the Organism GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

Nature is crammed with devices to protect and maintain the organism against the stress of the environment. Any structural feature that is useful because of its construction is a structural adaptation; when such adaptations are given, the mechanist has, for the most part, a relatively easy task in his interpretation. He has a far more difficult knot to disentangle in the case of the so-called functional adaptations, where the organism modifies its activities (and often also its structure) in response to changed conditions. The nature of these phenomena may be illustrated by a few examples so chosen to form a progressive series. If a spot on the skin is rubbed for some time, the first result is a direct and obviously mechanical one: the skin is worn away. But if the rubbing is continued long enough, and is not too severe, an indirect effect is produced that is precisely the opposite of the initial direct one: the skin is replaced and becomes thicker than before, and a callus is produced that protects the spot from further injury. The healing of a wound involves a similar action. Again, remove one kidney or one lung and the remaining one will, in time, enlarge to assume, as far as it is able, the functions of both. Finally, it has been found in certain cases, including animals as highly organised as salamanders, that if the egg is separated into two parts at an early period of development each part develops into a perfect embryo animal of half the usual size, and a pair of twins results. In each of these cases, the astonishing fact is that a mechanical injury sets up in the organism a complicated adaptive response in the form of operations, which, in the end, counteract the initial mechanical effect. It is no doubt true that somewhat similar self adjustments or responses may be said to take place in certain nonliving mechanical systems, such as the spinning top or the gyroscope, but those that occur in the living body are of such general occurrence, of such complexity and variety, and of so design-like a quality, that they may fairly be regarded as among the most characteristic of the vital activities. It is precisely this characteristic of many vital phenomena that renders their accurate analysis so difficult and complex a task.

‘Nature is crammed with devices to protect and maintain the organism’’ is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analysing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

1. The question of man’s place in nature is one of the most momentous with which natural science has to deal with it, and it has occupied the attention of thinking men in every age.
2. When the matter is reduced to its lowest terms—life—it seems to have its root in a chemical change.
3. Scientific investigation can do no more than push forward the limits of knowledge.
4. Organic adaptations often run counter to direct or obvious initial mechanical conditions.
5. The greatest task of the biologist is to study the organism from the historical point of view, considering it as the product of a continuous process of evolution.

2. The difficult knot refers to

1. structures in organisms that resist scientists’ efforts to understand their purpose.
2. the behavioural modification in an organism in response to altered conditions.
3. the division of labour within a cell that allows differentiation into diverse organs.
4. mechanical adjustments that irregularly occur in non living systems.
5. issues that biologists face when attempting to find morphological evidence to support evolutionary processes.

3. All of the following are examples of the phenomena of organ modification except:

1. If the leg of a lobster is amputated, the wound not only heals but a new leg is regenerated in place of that which has been lost.
2. A climbing plant will grow tendrils to sustain itself against the action of gravity or the wind.
3. Humpback whales travel to cold waters for feeding; they go to warmer waters to give birth.
4. Grasshoppers that feed on ryegrass, a hard grass, have larger heads and greater chewing power than those that feed on softer grasses.
5. Stems of wheat plants grown without support are stronger and less flexible than those grown with support.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes the adaptive response in organisms

1. is regular and predictable in both plants and animals.
2. relies on simple duplicative processes within each organism.
3. is counterproductive to healing and cell regeneration.
4. is frequent, complex, and varied.
5. is very different from nonliving mechanisms that self-correct.

5. Which of the following best describes the organisation of the passage?

1. The historical background of a research method is chronicled.
2. Two divergent theories are compared and contrasted.
3. An assertion is supported by several illustrations.
4. The limitations of a methodology are revealed.
5. A particular case is presented as an exception to a general rule.

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