Many mosquito repellents contain natural components that work by activating multiple odor receptors on mosquitoes' antennae. As the insects develop...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Many mosquito repellents contain natural components that work by activating multiple odor receptors on mosquitoes' antennae. As the insects develop resistance, new repellents are needed. Ke Dong and her team found that EBF, a molecular component of a chrysanthemum-flower extract, can repel mosquitoes by activating just one odor receptor—and this receptor, Or31, is present in all mosquito species known to carry diseases. Therefore, the researchers suggest that in developing new repellents, it would be most useful to ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
identify molecular components similar to EBF that target the activation of Or31 receptors.
investigate alternative methods for extracting EBF molecules from chrysanthemums.
verify the precise locations of Or31 and other odor receptors on mosquitoes' antennae.
determine the maximum number of different odor receptors that can be activated by a single molecule.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Many mosquito repellents contain natural components that work by activating multiple odor receptors on mosquitoes' antennae.' |
|
| 'As the insects develop resistance, new repellents are needed.' |
|
| 'Ke Dong and her team found that EBF, a molecular component of a chrysanthemum-flower extract, can repel mosquitoes by activating just one odor receptor—and this receptor, Or31, is present in all mosquito species known to carry diseases.' |
|
| 'Therefore, the researchers suggest that in developing new repellents, it would be most useful to ______' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map:
CURRENT STATE: Current repellents activate multiple receptors
PROBLEM: Insects develop resistance, need new repellents
NEW FINDING: EBF activates just ONE receptor (Or31) present in ALL disease-carrying mosquito species
LOGICAL CONCLUSION: Therefore, for new repellents, most useful to ______
Main Point: Researchers found that EBF repels mosquitoes by targeting a single receptor (Or31) that exists in all disease-carrying mosquito species, suggesting a new approach for developing repellents.
Argument Flow: The passage describes current repellents that use multiple receptors, identifies resistance problems, presents research showing EBF works through a single universal receptor, and leads to a conclusion about the best approach for future repellent development.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The key finding is that EBF works by targeting just ONE receptor (Or31) rather than multiple receptors like current repellents
- More importantly, Or31 is present in ALL disease-carrying mosquito species
- This suggests a more targeted and potentially effective approach
- Since researchers want to develop NEW repellents and they've discovered this promising single-receptor approach, the logical next step would be to find other molecular components that work the same way - targeting that same Or31 receptor
- So the right answer should suggest finding more molecules similar to EBF that target the Or31 receptor specifically
identify molecular components similar to EBF that target the activation of Or31 receptors.
✓ Correct
- This directly follows from the research finding - if EBF works by targeting Or31 effectively, finding similar molecules that target the same receptor makes perfect sense
- This addresses developing new repellents by identifying new molecular components
investigate alternative methods for extracting EBF molecules from chrysanthemums.
✗ Incorrect
- This focuses on extraction methods for EBF itself, not developing NEW repellents
- The passage already established that EBF works - the question asks what's most useful for developing new repellents, not improving extraction of existing ones
verify the precise locations of Or31 and other odor receptors on mosquitoes' antennae.
✗ Incorrect
- This is about mapping receptor locations, which doesn't help develop new repellents
- The passage already tells us Or31 works - we don't need to verify its location to create new repellents
determine the maximum number of different odor receptors that can be activated by a single molecule.
✗ Incorrect
- This goes against the key finding - the research shows that targeting ONE receptor (Or31) is effective, so maximizing the number of receptors activated contradicts the evidence
- Would lead back to the multiple-receptor approach that has resistance problems