All Courses
Explore Courses UPSC Exam UPSC Test Series Free Notes EduRev Infinity Get the App Login Join for Free
Sign in Open App
GMAT Exam  >  GMAT Questions  >  In 2006, after being declared missing for thr... Start Learning for Free
SaveJoin the Discussion on the App
In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.
Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?
  • a)
    Verifying all details in the man's ID card
  • b)
    Checking the man's breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes up
  • c)
    Finding out whether the man is part of an experiment
  • d)
    Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernation
  • e)
    Researching the man's background to check the possibility that he was raised by animals
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
FREE This question is part of
Download PDF Attempt Test
Download PDF Attempt this Test
Most Upvoted Answer
In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man ...
A. Verifying all details in the man's ID card
Incorrect.
In this variation of Investigation questions, you are required to find which method of investigation will be most useful in evaluating the doctors' conclusion. To do so, first break down the argument. The first two sentences are premises that relate the history of events that took place. The last sentence uses the conclusion word hypothesized that, identifying it as the conclusion:
  • Premise A: for 3 weeks a man had been sleeping in the snow
    +
    Premise B: hibernation is characterized by slow breathing, low body temperature and a slow metabolism
    =
    Doctors' Hypothesis: the man was hibernating

    Relevant Investigation: ?
The correct answer is a method of investigation which could support or weaken the conclusion depending on its outcome, i.e., an investigation that tests the most crucial factor.
In this question, we are asked to find a test which will reveal whether the Japanese man hibernated. Since ID cards do not indicate whether someone has hibernated for three weeks, checking the man's ID will not do.
B. Checking the man's breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes up
Since hibernation, according to the definition in the argument, is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature and a slower metabolism, checking these parameters in the sleeping man will indicate whether he is indeed hibernating.
C. Finding out whether the man is part of an experiment
Incorrect.
In this variation of Investigation questions, you are required to find which method of investigation will be most useful in evaluating the doctors' conclusion. To do so, first break down the argument. The first two sentences are premises that relate the history of events that took place. The last sentence uses the conclusion word hypothesized that, identifying it as the conclusion:
 
  • Premise A: for 3 weeks a man had been sleeping in the snow
    +
    Premise B: hibernation is characterized by slow breathing, low body temperature and a slow metabolism
    =
    Doctors' Hypothesis: the man was hibernating

    Relevant Investigation: ?
The correct answer is a method of investigation which could support or weaken the conclusion depending on its outcome, i.e., an investigation that tests the most crucial factor.
Whether the man was part of an experiment does not eliminate or confirm the possibility that he was in a state of hibernation. Therefore, this is not a suitable factor for checking for hibernation.
D. Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernation
Incorrect.
We are asked to find a test which will reveal whether the Japanese man hibernated. Whether another person manages to hibernate is irrelevant as it will not tell us anything about the Japanese man in the question.
E. Researching the man's background to check the possibility that he was raised by animals
Incorrect.
Merely being raised by animals does not necessarily mean one can hibernate. Furthermore, it does not indicate whether the Japanese man was hibernating when he was found in 2006.
Attention GMAT Students!
To make sure you are not studying endlessly, EduRev has designed GMAT study material, with Structured Courses, Videos, & Test Series. Plus get personalized analysis, doubt solving and improvement plans to achieve a great score in GMAT.
< Previous Question Next Question >
Explore Courses for GMAT exam

Similar GMAT Doubts

Read the passage and answer the question given below.The study of the analog position of mental representation has many fascinating branches which help illuminate the inner workings of our minds and how we perceive images in our mind‘s eye. This theory points to the link between the time it takes to solve mental problems and their complexity.In a now-famous study, Stephen Kosslyn asked subjects to imagine an animal, such as a rabbit, next to either an elephant or a fly. When the image was formed, Kosslyn would ask whether or not the target animal had a particular attribute. For example, Kosslyn might say, elephant, rabbit, and then leg. He found that it took subjects longer to answer when the target animal was next to the large animal than when it was next to the small animal. Kosslyn interpreted this to mean that subjects had to zoom in on the image to detect the particular feature. Just as one has difficulty seeing details on small objects, so the subjects could not simply mentally see details on the smaller object in their mental image.Second, Kosslyn and colleagues demonstrated that the time it takes to scan between two points depends on the distance between the two points [in a memorized image]. In one experiment, subjects memorized an array of letters separated by different distances. Kosslyn found that the farther apart the letters were from each other, the longer it took to answer questions about one of the letters. One of the principal hypotheses of the analog position of mental representation, which is the idea that mental processing requires one to move sequentially through all intervening steps to solve a problem, is that mental images have regular properties.In a similar experiment, Kosslyn had subjects memorize pictures of objects like a plane or a motorboat. Then he had them focus on one part of the object (e.g., the motor) and move to another (e.g., the anchor). He found that the time it took to determine whether the second part was present depended on the distance between the two parts in the memorized picture.Using a completely different paradigm, Shepard and Feng tested the amount of time that it would take for subjects to specify whether two arrows on unfolded blocks matched up. They found a linear relationship between the number of folds between the arrows and the time it took to make this judgment, suggesting that subjects went through a discrete series of organized steps in order to solve this problem.The final type of experiment showing that mental images have regular properties is perhaps the most famous: mental rotation experiments. In 1971, Shepard and Metzler tested subjects‘ abilities to make complex figure comparisons. They presented subjects with a three dimensional standard figure and a comparison figure which was either identical to the standard figure, or its mirror image; the comparison stimulus was rotated, either clockwise or into the third dimension. Shepard and Metzler found that the time needed to judge whether the comparison stimulus was identical or a mirror image depended directly on the size of the angle between the target orientation and the orientation of the standard.Q.According to the scanning experiments mentioned in the passage, it should take longer to scan longer distances because the subjects

One of the foundations of scientific research is that an experimental result is credible only if it can be replicated—only if performing the experiment a second time leads to the same result. But physicists John Sommerer and Edward Ott have conceived of a physical system in which even the least change in the starting conditions—no matter how small, inadvertent, or undetectable—can alter results radically. The system is represented by a computer model of a mathematical equation describing the motion of a particle placed in a particular type of force field.Sommerer and Ott based their system on an analogy with the phenomena known as riddled basins of attraction. If two bodies of water bound a large landmass and water is spilled somewhere on the land, the water will eventually make its way to one or the other body of water, its destination depending on such factors as where the water is spilled and the geographic features that shape the water’s path and velocity. The basin of attraction for a body of water is the area of land that, whenever water is spilled on it, always directs the spilled water to that body.In some geographical formations it is sometimes impossible to predict, not only the exact destination of the spilled water, but even which body of water it will end up in. This is because the boundary between one basin of attraction and another is riddled with fractal properties; in other words, the boundary is permeated by an extraordinarily high number of physical irregularities such as notches or zigzags. Along such a boundary, the only way to determine where spilled water will flow at any given point is actually to spill it and observe its motion; spilling the water at any immediately adjacent point could give the water an entirely different path, velocity, or destination.In the system posited by the two physicists, this boundary expands to include the whole system: i.e., the entire force field is riddled with fractal properties, and it is impossible to predict even the general destination of the particle given its starting point. Sommerer and Ott make a distinction between this type of uncertainty and that known as “chaos”; under chaos, a particle’s general destination would be predictable but its path and exact destination would not.There are presumably other such systems because the equation the physicists used to construct the computer model was literally the first one they attempted, and the likelihood that they chose the only equation that would lead to an unstable system is small. If other such systems do exist, metaphorical examples of riddled basins of attraction may abound in the failed attempts of scientists to replicate previous experimental results—in which case, scientists would be forced to question one of the basic principles that guide their work.Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

A recent ball-catching experiment conducted in space by astronauts on board a space shuttle has led neuroscientists to conclude that the brain contains an internal model of gravity that is both powerful and persistent. At the same time, the experiment provided evidence that the brain can adapt to environments in which the force of downward acceleration is less pronounced than it is on earth.The experiment’s outcomes suggested that an individual’s understanding of motion is hard-wired from an earthcentric perspective. In the experiment, the astronauts were asked to catch balls released from a spring-loaded cannon.Analyzing data gathered from infrared tracking cameras and electrodes placed on the astronauts’ arms, McIntyre, the experiment’s principal designer, noticed that the astronauts’ anticipation of the ball’s motion was slightly off. Though they were able to catch the ball, the astronauts expected the ball to move faster than it did. He theorized that this over-anticipation is due to the fact that the brain expects the force of the earth’s gravity to act on the ball.The experiment also demonstrates the brain’s ability to adjust to conditions that run counter to its pre-set wiring.While the astronauts did not adapt to the conditions in space for some time, by day 15 of the experiment, the amplitude of the premature arm movements decreased and a new well-timed arm movement immediately preceded the catch. Upon returning to earth, the astronauts again mis-anticipated the ball’s motion, though this time the ball moved faster than anticipated. However, the astronauts were able to adjust back to the earth’s gravitational effect on the balls much more quickly than they had been able to adapt to the conditions in space.Many scientists view the findings as a first step in research that could have serious practical benefits. The ability of astronauts to safely explore space and investigate other planets is dependent on understanding the differences between our physical reactions on earth and elsewhere.On another level, understanding timing processes in the body might lead to the development of treatments for coordination problems experienced by individuals with certain types of brain damage.Q.The primary purpose of the passage is to

Climatic conditions are delicately adjusted to the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere. If there were a change in the atmosphere—for example, in the relative proportions of atmospheric gases—the climate would probably change also. A slight increase in water vapor, for instance, would increase the heat-retaining capacity of the atmosphere and would lead to a rise in global temperatures. In contrast, a large increase in water vapor would increase the thickness and extent of the cloud layer, reducing the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth’s surface.The level of carbon dioxide, CO2, in the atmosphere has an important effect on climatic change. Most of the Earth’s incoming energy is short-wavelength radiation, which tends to pass through atmospheric CO2 easily. The Earth, however, reradiates much of the received energy as long-wavelength radiation, which CO2 absorbs and then remits toward the Earth. This phenomenon, known as the greenhouse effect, can result in an increase in the surface temperature of a planet. An extreme example of the effect is shown by Venus, a planet covered by heavy clouds composed mostly of CO2, whose surface temperatures have been measured at 430. If the CO2 content of the atmosphere is reduced, the temperature falls. According to one respectable theory, if the atmospheric CO2 concentration were halved, the Earth would become completely covered with ice. Another equally respectable theory, however, states that a halving of the CO2 concentration would lead only to a reduction in global temperatures of 3.If, because of an increase in forest fires or volcanic activity, the CO2 content of the atmosphere increased, a warmer climate would be produced. Plant growth, which relies on both the warmth and the availability of CO2 would probably increase. As a consequence, plants would use more and more CO2. Eventually CO2 levels would diminish and the climate, in turn, would become cooler. With reduced temperatures many plants would die; CO2 would thereby be returned to the atmosphere and gradually the temperature would rise again. Thus, if this process occurred, there might be a long-term oscillation in the amount of CO2 present in the atmosphere, with regular temperature increases and decreases of a set magnitude.Some climatologists argue that the burning of fossil fuels has raised the level of CO2 in the atmosphere and has caused a global temperature increase of at least 1. But a supposed global temperature rise of 1 may in reality be only several regional temperature increases, restricted to areas where there are many meteorological stations and caused simply by shifts in the pattern of atmospheric circulation. Other areas, for example the Southern Hemisphere oceanic zone, may be experiencing an equivalent temperature decrease that is unrecognized because of the shortage of meteorological recording stations.The passage supplies information for answering which of the following questions?

Top Courses for GMATView all

Top Courses for GMAT

In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?a)Verifying all details in the mans ID cardb)Checking the mans breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes upc)Finding out whether the man is part of an experimentd)Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernatione)Researching the mans background to check the possibility that he was raised by animalsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Question Description
In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?a)Verifying all details in the mans ID cardb)Checking the mans breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes upc)Finding out whether the man is part of an experimentd)Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernatione)Researching the mans background to check the possibility that he was raised by animalsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? for GMAT 2024 is part of GMAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the GMAT exam syllabus. Information about In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?a)Verifying all details in the mans ID cardb)Checking the mans breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes upc)Finding out whether the man is part of an experimentd)Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernatione)Researching the mans background to check the possibility that he was raised by animalsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for GMAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?a)Verifying all details in the mans ID cardb)Checking the mans breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes upc)Finding out whether the man is part of an experimentd)Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernatione)Researching the mans background to check the possibility that he was raised by animalsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?.
Solutions for In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?a)Verifying all details in the mans ID cardb)Checking the mans breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes upc)Finding out whether the man is part of an experimentd)Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernatione)Researching the mans background to check the possibility that he was raised by animalsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for GMAT. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for GMAT Exam by signing up for free.
Here you can find the meaning of In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?a)Verifying all details in the mans ID cardb)Checking the mans breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes upc)Finding out whether the man is part of an experimentd)Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernatione)Researching the mans background to check the possibility that he was raised by animalsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?a)Verifying all details in the mans ID cardb)Checking the mans breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes upc)Finding out whether the man is part of an experimentd)Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernatione)Researching the mans background to check the possibility that he was raised by animalsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?a)Verifying all details in the mans ID cardb)Checking the mans breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes upc)Finding out whether the man is part of an experimentd)Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernatione)Researching the mans background to check the possibility that he was raised by animalsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?a)Verifying all details in the mans ID cardb)Checking the mans breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes upc)Finding out whether the man is part of an experimentd)Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernatione)Researching the mans background to check the possibility that he was raised by animalsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice In 2006, after being declared missing for three weeks, a Japanese man was discovered asleep in the snow in a state similar to hibernation. In animals, hibernation is characterized by slower breathing, lower body temperature, and a slower metabolism. Although humans do not normally hibernate, the doctors who treated the man hypothesized that he had entered a state of hibernation.Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of the above hypothesis?a)Verifying all details in the mans ID cardb)Checking the mans breathing, body temperature, and metabolism before he wakes upc)Finding out whether the man is part of an experimentd)Doing a practical test with another subject to assess the possibility of human hibernatione)Researching the mans background to check the possibility that he was raised by animalsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice GMAT tests.
Explore Courses for GMAT exam

Top Courses for GMAT

Explore Courses

Suggested Free Tests

Signup for Free!
Signup to see your scores go up within 7 days! Learn & Practice with 1000+ FREE Notes, Videos & Tests.
10M+ students study on EduRev
Get App
© EduRev
Education Revolution
Signup to see your scores go up within 7 days!
Access 1000+ FREE Docs, Videos and Tests
Takes less than 10 seconds to signup