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DSAT R&W Practice Question-Information and Ideas-Command of Evidence – Medium | New Syllabus

DSAT R&W Practice Question-Information and Ideas-Command of Evidence - Medium

DSAT R&W Practice Question-Information and Ideas-Command of Evidence – Medium

DSAT R&W Practice Question-Information and Ideas-Command of Evidence – Medium is part of Expression of Ideas  : This section evaluates students’ ability to identify main ideas in a passage and the ability to make inferences  about what the text implies, not just stating the obvious facts. Interpreting, evaluating, and combining different pieces of information from multiple sources is tested

Weightage : 26%

Subtopic: Information and ideas

DSAT R&W – Exam Style Practice Questions – All Topics

Question Medium

Text
Immanuel Wallerstein and other historians of capitalism rarely discuss domestic capitalism in Africa before the period of European colonization, implicitly presenting capitalism as external to and imposed on Africa. Crislayne Alfagali and other Africanist scholars have shown, however, that in parts of Africa, wage labor competition, the manufacture of surplus goods for monetized sale, and other features of capitalism predated colonization. One reason for this discrepancy is that historians of capitalism tend to focus on longitudinal economic data drawn from archival records, which do not exist for much of precolonial Africa.

Which statement about Alfagali and other Africanist scholars is best supported by information in the text?

A) They likely make use of different types of evidence than historians of capitalism typically rely on.

B) They likely differ from historians of capitalism in the methods they use to derive longitudinal economic data from archival records.

C) They likely have a different view about which activities should be considered capitalist in nature than historians of capitalism do.

D) They likely view capitalism as having been more beneficial for Africa than historians of capitalism do.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: A

The text directly supports that Alfagali and Africanist scholars:

  • Study precolonial African capitalism using evidence other than archival records (which are scarce for this period).
  • This contrasts with traditional historians who rely on longitudinal archival data.
Question Medium

Text
In 2016 Marta S. Pimentel and colleagues published a study concluding that ocean acidification has a strong effect on the behavior of Sparus aurata, a species of fish. However, Pimentel and colleagues’ study relied on a mean sample size of only 12 fish. In a 2022 review of various scientists’ conclusions about the impacts of ocean acidification on fish behavior, Timothy D. Clark and colleagues caution that relying on such a relatively small sample size can increase the potential for biased analysis. Such analysis, in turn, can contribute to reports of exaggerated effects.

What does the text most directly suggest about Pimentel and colleagues’ conclusion?

A) It was based on the same mean sample size used in many earlier studies of fish species.

B) It likely has broad implications for other species of fish besides Sparus aurata.

C) It may overstate the effect of ocean acidification on the behavior of Sparus aurata.

D) It has been largely invalidated by results obtained in subsequent studies.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: C

The text directly suggests that Pimentel and colleagues’ conclusion may overstate the effects of ocean acidification because:

  • Clark’s 2022 review explicitly links small sample sizes (12 fish) to potential bias and exaggerated effects.
  • No evidence is provided to support broader implications (B) or invalidation by other studies (D).
  • The text critiques Pimentel’s methodology, not its alignment with earlier studies (A).

Key phrases: “increase the potential for biased analysis,” “reports of exaggerated effects.”

Question Medium

Text
Arthurian legends (tales related to the character of King Arthur) derive from many sources, such as Y Gododdin, composed between the 7th and 11th centuries, and the Mabinogion from the 12th and 13th centuries. One of the most significant sources, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, was written in Latin in the 1130s; some material from it was later adapted by the Norman poet Wace into the Roman de Brut in 1155. But while no source before 1155 includes references to the famous Round Table at which Arthur’s knights assembled, both the Roman de Brut and Sir Thomas Malory’s 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends, Le Morte d’Arthur, do. It can therefore be inferred that ______.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) Malory did not use Y Gododdin as a source for information he presented about the Round Table.

B) Geoffrey of Monmouth was unaware of stories of the Round Table when composing his History, though historians know that works containing such stories were available to him.

C) Geoffrey of Monmouth’s accounts of Arthurian legends in his History are more similar overall in content to the accounts in the Mabinogion than they are to the accounts in Roman de Brut.

D) Le Morte d’Arthur is more historically accurate than History, because the Mabinogion had not been written when Geoffrey of Monmouth was writing his work.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: A

The text establishes that:

  1. The Round Table first appeared in post-1155 works (Roman de Brut and Le Morte d’Arthur).
  2. Y Gododdin predates these but contains no Round Table references.

Thus, Option A is the only logical inference: Malory couldn’t have used Y Gododdin for Round Table details.

Question Medium

Table
Ranking of Environmental and Sociocultural Benefits of Urban Agriculture (scale of 1 to 25; 1 = highest)

Social or ecological serviceProject leadersStakeholdersGeneral public
Improvement of community building171210
Improvement of urban aesthetics and art inspiration846
Enhancement of pollination1712
Provision of food4158
Provision of medicinal plants22215

Esther Sanyé-Mengual, Kathrin Specht, and their team surveyed three groups in Bologna, Italy to compare their views about urban agriculture benefits. The researchers ranked 25 services for each group (1 = highest benefit).

A city planner concludes that advertisements aimed at the general public should emphasize the project’s benefit to the provision of medicinal plants.

Which choice best describes data in the table that support the city planner’s conclusion?

A) The provision of medicinal plants was ranked higher for the general public than were the other four services.

B) The provision of medicinal plants was ranked higher for stakeholders than it was for the general public.

C) The enhancement of pollination was ranked higher for the general public than was the provision of medicinal plants.

D) The improvement of urban aesthetics and art inspiration was ranked lower for the general public than it was for project leaders.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: A

The table shows:

  • For the general public, medicinal plants are ranked 5
  • This is higher (closer to 1) than their rankings for:
    • Community building (10)
    • Urban aesthetics (6)
    • Pollination (12)
    • Food provision (8)

Thus, medicinal plants are the highest-ranked among the shown services for the general public.

Question Medium

Text
Neurobiologists Laura Cuaya, Raúl Hernández-Perez, and colleagues investigated the language detection abilities of eighteen dogs raised in similar settings. The researchers monitored the brain activity of dogs while they listened to three recordings: one of The Little Prince being read in Spanish, the second in Hungarian, and a third made up of short, randomly selected fragments of the first two, scrambled so that they didn’t resemble human speech. Each dog was familiar with either Spanish or Hungarian, but not both. The team concluded that the amount of previous language exposure a dog has received may influence its ability to distinguish familiar languages from unfamiliar ones.

Which finding from the study, if true, would most directly support the team’s conclusion?

A) The similarity between the pattern of brain activity a dog showed in response to hearing the scrambled recording and the pattern of brain activity it showed in response to hearing the language it was not accustomed to was greatest among older dogs.

B) Although the dogs’ general hearing sensitivity declined with age, dogs of all ages showed more brain activity in response to hearing the language they were accustomed to than in response to hearing the other language.

C) The difference between the pattern of brain activity a dog showed when hearing the language it was accustomed to and the pattern of brain activity it showed when hearing the language it was not accustomed to was greatest among older dogs.

D) Dogs showed a different pattern of brain activity when hearing the language they were accustomed to than when hearing the scrambled recording, and the difference in brain activity increased with the age of the dog scanned.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: C

The researchers’ conclusion focuses on how language exposure duration (implied by age) affects dogs’ ability to distinguish familiar vs. unfamiliar languages. Option C provides the most direct support because:

  • It shows neural discrimination (difference in brain activity patterns) between familiar/unfamiliar languages
  • The effect scales with exposure time (greatest in older dogs)
Question Medium

Text
A film studies student is researching early 20th-century film serials, which consisted of individual episodes of a single long story that were shown weekly in theaters. Clancy of the Mounted is a 1933 serial that, over its 12 episodes, kept its audience interested with the suspense and drama that are typical of the northern adventure genre. The student, however, claims that ultimately audiences of the time preferred resolution and closure over ongoing tension.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the student’s claim?

A) The 12th episode of Clancy of the Mounted was the most expensive episode of the series to produce.

B) The 12th episode of Clancy of the Mounted was viewed by more people than was any previous episode in the series.

C) Modern critics generally regard the first episode as the best installment of Clancy of the Mounted.

D) Audiences of the time considered Clancy of the Mounted to belong to a genre other than the northern adventure genre.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: B

The student’s central claim is that audiences valued resolution (final episode) more than ongoing tension (earlier episodes). Only Option B provides direct evidence:

  • Higher viewership for the 12th episode demonstrates audience preference for closure over suspenseful middle episodes
  • Quantitative data (viewership numbers) objectively supports the qualitative claim

Why others don’t support the claim:

  • A) Production costs are irrelevant to audience preferences
  • C) Modern critics’ opinions don’t reflect 1930s audience tastes
  • D) Genre misclassification doesn’t address the tension vs. resolution debate

This question tests the ability to identify evidence that directly supports an argument about historical audience behavior.

Question Medium

Text
The following text is from José Rizal’s 1891 novel The Reign of Greed (translated by Charles Derbyshire in 1912).

In his solitary retreat on the shore of the sea, whose mobile surface was visible through the open windows, extending outward until it mingled with the horizon, Padre Florentino was relieving the monotony by playing on his harmonium sad and melancholy tunes, to which the sonorous roar of the surf and the sighing of the treetops of the neighboring wood served as accompaniments. Notes long, full, mournful as a prayer, yet still vigorous, escaped from the old instrument. Padre Florentino, who was an accomplished musician, was improvising, and, as he was alone, gave free rein to the sadness in his heart.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A) The residence of Padre Florentino is especially isolated.

B) Padre Florentino prefers to play music rather than listen to other musicians play.

C) Padre Florentino has dedicated himself to becoming a skilled musician.

D) The sadness of Padre Florentino’s music reflects his own feelings.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: D

The text primarily focuses on the emotional connection between Padre Florentino’s music and his inner state:

  • Describes “sad and melancholy tunes” matching his heart’s sadness
  • States he “gave free rein to the sadness in his heart” while improvising
  • Uses mournful imagery (“as a prayer”) to connect music to emotion

Other options are secondary: A describes setting, B makes an unsupported comparison, and C contradicts “accomplished musician” showing already-established skill.

Question Medium

Text
Biologist Rosanna Alegado believes that we might learn how multicellular organisms developed from single-celled ones if we understand why the single-celled organism Salpingoeca rosetta, the oldest living relative of animals, sometimes forms colonies of cells. Alegado and colleagues reviewed data from many studies about how S. rosetta responds when exposed to another type of single-celled organism, bacteria. David C. Edmundson’s work with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria and Jung-Cheon Cho’s work with Crocinitomix atlanticus bacteria. Alegado and colleagues concluded that neither L. monocytogenes nor C. atlanticus are likely to have played a significant role in the development of multicellular organisms.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support Alegado and colleagues’ conclusion?

A) S. rosetta did not tend to form colonies when exposed to either L. monocytogenes or C. atlanticus.

B) S. rosetta tended to form colonies when exposed to L. monocytogenes and when exposed to C. atlanticus.

C) S. rosetta tended to form colonies when exposed to L. monocytogenes, but not when exposed to C. atlanticus.

D) S. rosetta tended to form colonies when exposed to C. atlanticus, but not when exposed to L. monocytogenes.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: A

The researchers concluded that neither bacteria species likely influenced multicellular development. This would be most directly supported by evidence showing S. rosetta didn’t form colonies with either bacteria (Option A). Options B, C, and D all suggest at least one bacteria species triggered colony formation, which would contradict their conclusion.

Question Medium

Text
Many studies have found a positive association between levels of dissolved organic carbon and mercury in bodies of fresh water in North America. But Petri Porvari and Matti Verta did not find this correlation in a study conducted in Finland, leading some scientists to hypothesize that the association is particular to North America. However, several other studies conducted outside North America, such as one by Sara M. Ekström and colleagues in Sweden, showed similar results to the North American studies, while few have produced results similar to those of Porvari and Verta’s study, suggesting that ______.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) the hypothesis that the positive association is particular to North America is correct.

B) levels of dissolved organic carbon and mercury in bodies of fresh water are both much higher in Finland than elsewhere.

C) there were circumstances unique to Ekström and colleagues’ study that impeded accurate measurements of mercury levels.

D) dissolved organic carbon and mercury levels do typically rise and fall together in fresh water.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: D

The text describes how most studies (both North American and international) show a positive correlation between dissolved organic carbon and mercury levels, with only Porvari and Verta’s Finnish study being an exception. This pattern suggests the general relationship is valid (Option D), making the Finnish study the outlier. Option A contradicts the evidence, Option B introduces unsupported claims about absolute levels, and Option C wrongly questions the methodology of the supporting studies rather than addressing the Finnish exception.

Question Medium

Data Table
Monthly Temperatures and Wing Centroid Sizes of Fruit Fly Specimens

MonthAverage high (°F)Average low (°F)Average male wing centroid size (mm)Average female wing centroid size (mm)
June80562.012.31
October67441.982.29
July87622.022.31
May73501.982.27

Text
Drosophila (fruit flies) have generation times of 10-12 days, so seasonal changes in humidity and other environmental conditions can drive seasonal fluctuations in chromosome rearrangements in species such as D. robusta and D. subobscura. Drosophila body size (for which wing centroid size serves as a proxy measure) correlates with reproductive fitness. Banu Şehem Onder and Cansu Fidan Aksoy measured the wing sizes of members of a D. melanogaster population in Yeşilöz, Turkey, that were collected monthly between May and October over three years. Their research suggests that Drosophila collected in relatively cooler months should tend to have lower reproductive fitness, as is illustrated by the finding that ______.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the assertion?

A) the average female wing centroid size was 2.02 mm in July but was 2.31 mm in June.

B) the average male wing centroid size was smaller in May than in July.

C) the average monthly low temperature was lower in May than in June.

D) the average male wing centroid size was consistently smaller than the average female wing centroid size in all four months in the table.

▶️ Answer/Explanation
Solution

Ans: B

The text establishes that wing size correlates with reproductive fitness and suggests flies from cooler months have lower fitness. The table shows May (cooler month with avg low 50°F) had smaller male wings (1.98mm) than July (warmer month with avg low 62°F, wings 2.02mm), supporting the researchers’ claim. Option B correctly uses this comparative data. Option A contains incorrect female wing sizes, Option C discusses temperature without connecting to wing size, and Option D compares sexes rather than seasons.

Question

Although many transposons, DNA sequences that move within an organism’s genome through shuffling or duplication, have become corrupted and inactive over time, those from the long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE) family appear to remain active in the genomes of some species. In humans, they are functionally important within the hippocampus, a brain structure that supports complex cognitive processes. When the results of molecular analysis of two species of octopus—an animal known for its intelligence—were announced in 2022, the confirmation of a LINE transposon in Octopus vulgaris and Octopus bimaculoides genomes prompted researchers to hypothesize that that transposon family is tied to a species’ capacity for advanced cognition.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ hypothesis?
A. The LINE transposon in O. vulgaris and O. bimaculoides genomes is active in an octopus brain structure that functions similarly to the human hippocampus.
B. The human genome contains multiple transposons from the LINE family that are all primarily active in the hippocampus.
C. A consistent number of copies of LINE transposons is present across the genomes of most octopus species, with few known corruptions.
D. O. vulgaris and O. bimaculoides have smaller brains than humans do relative to body size, but their genomes contain sequences from a wider variety of transposon families.

▶️Answer/Explanation

Ans. A

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The text says that LINE transposons are important in the human hippocampus, which supports complex cognition. If the LINE transposon found in octopuses is active in a similar part of their brain, that would suggest that LINE transposons support complex cognition in octopuses too, which in turn supports the hypothesis that LINE transposons are linked to advanced cognition in general.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the hypothesis. It doesn’t include anything about how LINE transposons function in species other than humans. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the hypothesis. It doesn’t include anything about how the LINE transposon in octopuses might support advanced cognition. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the hypothesis. It doesn’t include anything about how the LINE transposon in octopuses might support advanced cognition

Question

The Jordanelle Dam was built on the Provo River in Utah in 1992. Earth scientist Adriana E. Martinez and colleagues tracked changes to the environment on the banks of the river downstream of the dam, including how much grass and forest cover were present. They concluded that the dam changed the flow of the river in ways that benefited grass plants but didn’t benefit trees.

Which choice best describes data from the graph that support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion?

A. The lowest amount of grass cover was approximately 58,000 square meters, and the highest amount of forest cover was approximately 75,000 square meters.
B. There was more grass cover than forest cover in 1987, and this difference increased dramatically in 1993 and again in 2006.
C. There was less grass cover than bare soil in 1987 but more grass cover than bare soil in 1993 and 2006, whereas there was more forest cover than bare soil in all three years.
D. Grass cover increased from 1987 to 1993 and from 1993 to 2006, whereas forest cover decreased in those periods.

▶️Answer/Explanation

Ans. D

Correct Answer: D
Rationale

Choice D is the best answer because it describes data from the graph that support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion that the Jordanelle Dam led to changes that benefited grass plants but not trees. The graph shows characteristics of the banks of the Provo River downstream of the Jordanelle Dam in three different years— 1987, 1993, and 2006. Specifically, the graph shows the amount of grass cover, bare soil, and forest cover in those years. The text indicates that the Jordanelle Dam was built in 1992, meaning that the data from the graph for 1987 reflect conditions before the dam was built, whereas the data for 1993 and 2006 reflect conditions after the dam was built. The data show that grass cover increased substantially from 1987 to 1993 and again from 1993 to 2006. The data also show that forest cover declined over those periods. Together, these data support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion that the dam was beneficial for grass plants but not for trees —grass cover increased significantly after the dam was built, while forest cover declined.

Choice A is incorrect. Although it is true that, in the graph, the lowest value for grass cover is approximately 58,000 square meters and the highest value for forest cover is approximately 75,000 square meters, both values are from 1987, before the Jordanelle Dam was built in 1992. Therefore, this information alone cannot support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion about changes in grass and tree cover following the construction of the dam. Choice B is incorrect because it presents an inaccurate description of data from the graph. The graph shows that there was more forest cover than grass cover in 1987, not that there was more grass cover than forest cover that year. Choice C is incorrect because, while it accurately reflects data from the graph when it compares grass cover and forest cover to bare soil, these data alone cannot support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion that the dam led to changes that benefited grass plants but not trees. An increase in grass cover relative to bare soil following the construction of the dam might indicate that the dam benefited grass plants, but the fact that there was more forest cover than bare soil in all three years doesn’t indicate that the dam failed to benefit trees.

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