Reading Comprehension Flashcards
<p>
Which one of the following best states the central<br></br>
idea of the passage?</p>
<p>
<br></br>
(A) Antithetical scientific disciplines can both<br></br>
stimulate and hinder one another’s research in<br></br>
complex ways.<br></br>
(B) Antithetical scientific disciplines often interact<br></br>
with one another in ways that can be highly<br></br>
useful.<br></br>
(C) As disciplines such as cytology and<br></br>
biochemistry advance, their interaction<br></br>
necessarily leads to a synthesis of their<br></br>
approaches.<br></br>
(D) Cell research in the late nineteenth century<br></br>
was plagued by disagreements between<br></br>
cytologists and biochemists.<br></br>
(E) In the late nineteenth century, cytologists and<br></br>
biochemists made many valuable discoveries<br></br>
that advanced scientific understanding of the<br></br>
cell.</p>
<p>
| B</p>
<p>
The passage states that in the late nineteenth century<br></br>
cytologists deduced the</p>
<p>
<br></br>
(A) maps of chromosomes<br></br>
(B) chemical nature of protoplasm<br></br>
(C) spatial relationship of molecules within the<br></br>
cell<br></br>
(D) role of enzymes in biological processes<br></br>
(E) sequence of the movement of chromosomes<br></br>
during cell division</p>
<p>
| E</p>
<p>
It can be inferred from the passage that in the late<br></br>
nineteenth century the debate over the structural<br></br>
nature of protoplasm (lines 25–29) was most likely<br></br>
carried on</p>
<p>
<br></br>
(A) among cytologists<br></br>
(B) among biochemists<br></br>
(C) between cytologists and biochemists<br></br>
(D) between cytologists and geneticists<br></br>
(E) between biochemists and geneticists</p>
<p>
| A</p>
<p>
According to the passage, cytologists in the late<br></br>
nineteenth century were critical of the cell research<br></br>
of biochemists because cytologists believed that</p>
<p>
<br></br>
(A) the methods of biochemistry were inadequate<br></br>
to account for all of the chemical reactions<br></br>
that occurred in cytological preparations<br></br>
(B) the methods of biochemistry could not<br></br>
adequately discover and explain the<br></br>
structures of living cells<br></br>
(C) biochemists were not interested in the nature<br></br>
of protoplasm<br></br>
(D) biochemists were not interested in cell division<br></br>
(E) biochemists were too ignorant of cytology to<br></br>
understand the basic processes of the cell</p>
<p>
| B</p>
<p>
The author quotes Fruton (lines 62–64) primarily in<br></br>
order to</p>
<p>
<br></br>
(A) restate the author’s own conclusions<br></br>
(B) provide new evidence about the relationship of<br></br>
cytology to biochemistry<br></br>
(C) summarize the position of the biochemists<br></br>
described in the passage<br></br>
(D) illustrate the difficulties encountered in the<br></br>
synthesis of disciplines<br></br>
(E) emphasize the ascendancy of the theories of<br></br>
biochemists over those of cytologists</p>
<p>
| A</p>
<p>
Which one of the following inferences about when<br></br>
the enzyme theory of life was formulated can be<br></br>
drawn from the passage?</p>
<p>
<br></br>
(A) The theory was formulated before the<br></br>
appearance of molecular biology.<br></br>
(B) The theory was formulated before the initial<br></br>
discovery of cell architecture.<br></br>
(C) The theory was formulated after the<br></br>
completion of chromosome mapping.<br></br>
(D) The theory was formulated after a synthesis of<br></br>
the ideas of cytologists and biochemists had<br></br>
occurred.<br></br>
(E) The theory was formulated at the same time as<br></br>
the beginning of the debate over the nature of<br></br>
protoplasm.</p>
<p>
| A</p>
<p>
Which one of the following statements about cells is<br></br>
most compatible with the views of late 19th century<br></br>
biochemists as those views are described in the passage?</p>
<p>
<br></br>
(A) The secret of cell function resides in the<br></br>
structure of the cell.<br></br>
(B) Only by discovering the chemical composition<br></br>
of protoplasm can the processes of the cell be<br></br>
understood.<br></br>
(C) Scientific knowledge about the chemical<br></br>
composition of the cell can help to explain<br></br>
behavioral patterns in organisms.<br></br>
(D) The most important issue to be resolved with<br></br>
regard to the cell is determining the physical<br></br>
characteristics of protoplasm.<br></br>
(E) The methods of chemistry must be<br></br>
supplemented before a full account of the<br></br>
cell’s structures can be made.</p>
<p>
| B</p>
<p>
Which one of the following best describes the organization of the material presented in the passage?</p>
<p>
<br></br>
(A) An account of a process is given, and then the reason for its occurrence is stated.<br></br>
(B) A set of examples is provided, and then a conclusion is drawn from them.<br></br>
(C) A general proposition is stated, and then an example is given.<br></br>
(D) A statement of principles is made, and then a rationale for them is debated.<br></br>
(E) A problem is analyzed, and then a possible solution is discussed.</p>
<p>
| C</p>
