Neurobiologists Laura Cuaya, Raúl Hernández-Pérez, and colleagues investigated the language detection abilities of eighteen dogs. The researchers moni...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Neurobiologists Laura Cuaya, Raúl Hernández-Pérez, and colleagues investigated the language detection abilities of eighteen dogs. The researchers monitored the brain activity of Joey (an Australian shepherd), Mini (a mixed breed), and other dogs while the animals 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 differences in dogs' anatomical features may affect their ability to distinguish speech from nonspeech.
Which finding from the study, if true, would most directly support the team's conclusion?
Long-headed dogs accustomed to hearing Spanish tended to show more brain activity when hearing Spanish than long-headed dogs accustomed to hearing Hungarian showed when hearing Hungarian.
Compared with shorter-headed dogs, longer-headed dogs showed a greater difference in brain activity when hearing either Spanish or Hungarian than when hearing the scrambled recording.
The pattern of brain activity that long-headed dogs showed when hearing the scrambled recording was different from the pattern of brain activity that short-headed dogs showed when hearing the language they were accustomed to.
Compared with shorter-headed dogs, longer-headed dogs showed a greater difference in brain activity when hearing the language they were accustomed to than when hearing the other language.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Neurobiologists Laura Cuaya, Raúl Hernández-Pérez, and colleagues investigated the language detection abilities of eighteen dogs.' |
|
| 'The researchers monitored the brain activity of Joey (an Australian shepherd), Mini (a mixed breed), and other dogs while the animals listened to three recordings:' |
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| '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.' |
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| 'Each dog was familiar with either Spanish or Hungarian, but not both.' |
|
| 'The team concluded that differences in dogs' anatomical features may affect their ability to distinguish speech from nonspeech.' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Researchers concluded that dogs' anatomical differences may influence their ability to distinguish between actual speech and nonspeech sounds.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? Which research finding would most directly support the team's conclusion about anatomical features affecting speech/nonspeech distinction.
What type of answer do we need? Evidence that shows a connection between dogs' physical characteristics and their ability to differentiate speech from nonspeech.
Any limiting keywords? Content Genre: Sciences, Content Format: Text-only, Question Type: Strengthen / Weaken, Language Complexity: Moderate
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The conclusion claims that anatomical features may affect dogs' ability to distinguish speech from nonspeech
- The right answer should show that dogs with different anatomical features performed differently when distinguishing between actual speech and the scrambled nonspeech recording
- Key elements the correct answer must have:
- Reference to anatomical differences between dogs (like head shape/size)
- Show different performance in distinguishing speech from nonspeech based on those anatomical differences
- Demonstrate this through brain activity patterns
Long-headed dogs accustomed to hearing Spanish tended to show more brain activity when hearing Spanish than long-headed dogs accustomed to hearing Hungarian showed when hearing Hungarian.
✗ Incorrect
- Compares long-headed dogs' response to their familiar language vs. other long-headed dogs' response to their familiar language
- This is about language preference, not about distinguishing speech from nonspeech
Compared with shorter-headed dogs, longer-headed dogs showed a greater difference in brain activity when hearing either Spanish or Hungarian than when hearing the scrambled recording.
✓ Correct
- Shows longer-headed dogs had greater brain activity difference between actual languages (Spanish/Hungarian) versus scrambled nonspeech
- Directly demonstrates that anatomical feature (head length) affects ability to distinguish speech from nonspeech
The pattern of brain activity that long-headed dogs showed when hearing the scrambled recording was different from the pattern of brain activity that short-headed dogs showed when hearing the language they were accustomed to.
✗ Incorrect
- Compares long-headed dogs hearing scrambled recording vs. short-headed dogs hearing familiar language
- This is not a fair comparison since they are hearing completely different types of audio
Compared with shorter-headed dogs, longer-headed dogs showed a greater difference in brain activity when hearing the language they were accustomed to than when hearing the other language.
✗ Incorrect
- Shows longer-headed dogs distinguish better between familiar vs. unfamiliar languages
- This is about language discrimination, not speech vs. nonspeech discrimination