While the Darwinian Evolutionary Principle of "Survival of the Fittest"

Reading Passage Question

While the Darwinian evolutionary principle of "survival of the fittest" is frequently associated with physical characteristics such as size, strength, speed, and appearance, the same principle is thought to apply to behavioral traits as well, such as how an animal responds to a perceived threat. Experiments to evaluate the consequences of that behavior are virtually impossible in a laboratory environment. However, a unique set of circumstances and some clever thinking by scientists enabled them to conduct an experiment to quantify the survival rate of animals displaying differing threat responses in a real-world environment.

A series of hurricanes had devastated several small islands in the Bahamas; no lizards at all survived on some of these islands. Scientists determined that this situation presented an opportunity to test the effects of brown anole behavior on these animals' survival. When confronted with a threat, some brown anoles are risk-averse and will retreat to the safety of thick vegetation or find a hole in the ground to hide. Others may stay above ground, thus exposing themselves to a greater likelihood of becoming prey. In order to characterize their risk behavior, the scientists placed a large group of the brown anoles in a cage with a direct view of a large predator. The predator was then relocated, and the team measured how long it took each lizard to venture out of the cage; that time was used as a proxy for risk-taking propensity. The lizards were tagged, and a representative population was dispersed across each of the islands along with a number of curly-tailed lizards, which prey on brown anoles. The scientists hypothesized that the survival rate would be higher among those brown anoles with a tendency to hide when facing danger.

Four months after the repopulation event, all of the surviving brown anole lizards were recaptured. It was found that a greater proportion of the risk-averse brown anoles survived than of the more adventurous lizards. However, further analysis showed that risk aversion had no predictive value onthe survival rates of male brown anoles; only the risk-averse females had a higher survival rate. Rather than believing their hypothesis had been disproved, the scientists claimed that these results were consistent with what they had predicted. Either way, the experiment demonstrates the value of opportunistic methodology in science.

‘While the Darwinian evolutionary principle of "survival of the fittest”’ 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, analyzing, 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, if true, would most support the scientists' hypothesis?

A) The longer a brown anole stayed in the cage in the characterization phase of the experiment, the more likely that anole would be to hide from a predator in the wild.
B) Some brown anoles have a prominent orange crest that is highly visible to curly-tailed lizards and other predators.
C) Male brown anoles are less likely to be risk-averse than are female brown anoles.
D) During breeding season, brown anoles are more vulnerable to predators due to their mating displays.
E) Female brown anoles will not risk their own lives to protect their eggs or offspring from predators.

2. According to the passage, which of the following is true about brown anoles?

A) Brown anoles are native to the Bahamas.
B) A low level of risk aversion provides no benefit to brown anoles.
C) Threat response behavior varies among brown anoles.
D) The brown anole's main threat response strategy is hiding.
E) The curly-tailed lizard is the primary predator of brown anoles.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be likely to agree with which of the following statements about the experiment's results?

A) The results support the scientists' hypothesis more than they undermine it.
B) The results of this experiment contradicted those of previous laboratory experiments.
C) The results would have been more accurate had the scientists used a species native to the islands.
D) Potentially inconclusive results can still have value in science.
E) Risk aversion in brown anoles has no effect on their survival.

4. Based on the passage, which of the following can be inferred about Darwinian principles?

A) "Survival of the fittest" applies only to physical characteristics.
B) Threat response behavior may be subject to evolutionary selection.
C) There is no way to evaluate evolutionary principles in a laboratory setting.
D) The principle of "survival of the fittest" applies to both physical and behavioral characteristics.
E) The response of most behavioral traits to evolutionary selection can be experimentally evaluated.

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