Bigger cities need more infrastructure than smaller ones-but how much more? For instance, among cities in the economically most developed...
GMAT Reading Comprehension : (RC) Questions
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Bigger cities need more infrastructure than smaller ones-but how much more? For instance, among cities in the economically most developed countries, the number of service stations varies, not in direct proportion to the population, but to a far smaller number, obtainable by a precise formula applied to the population. This implies that given a city's population, we can predict how many service stations the city needs. The bigger the city, the fewer gas stations needed per thousand people. The same scaling relationship holds for certain other aspects of infrastructure.
Interestingly, a similar scaling relationship occurs among organisms. Outside their host organisms, almost all mammal cells have similar rates of energy use. But in the animal's body, the larger the animal, the smaller the cells' average at-rest energy needs. Thus an elephant's cells individually consume far less energy than a mouse's. Kleiber's law, which describes mammals' at-rest energy needs, indicates that they increase at a significantly slower rate than body weight. The relevant scaling relationship is described by a formula quite like the one applicable to city infrastructure.
Physicist Geoffrey West has argued that a scaling relationship somewhat like Kleiber's is theoretically likely in systems using a network of branching tubes to convey energy and nutrients efficiently throughout a three- dimensional body. Such a transport system could be the circulatory system's architecture, but also a city's systems of roads, cables, and pipes.
Ques. 1/3
The primary purpose of the passage is to
Solution
1. Passage Analysis:
Progressive Passage Analysis
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Bigger cities need more infrastructure than smaller ones-but how much more?" | What it says: Large cities require more infrastructure than small cities, but we're about to explore the specific relationship. What it does: Sets up the central question and creates curiosity about a scaling relationship. Source/Type: Author's question/setup Connection to Previous Sentences: This is the opening - establishes our main topic. Visualization: • City A (50,000 people) needs some infrastructure • City B (500,000 people) needs more infrastructure • Question: How much more? 2x? 10x? Some other relationship? Reading Strategy Insight: This question format signals that the author will provide a specific answer - stay alert for the "how much more" explanation. |
| "For instance, among cities in the economically most developed countries, the number of service stations varies, not in direct proportion to the population, but to a far smaller number, obtainable by a precise formula applied to the population." | What it says: Gas stations don't increase 1:1 with population - they increase much less, following a mathematical formula. What it does: Provides a concrete example and gives us the first piece of the answer to "how much more." Source/Type: Factual observation about cities Connection to Previous Sentences: This ANSWERS the "how much more" question from sentence 1. The relationship is "far smaller" than direct proportion. Visualization: • If direct proportion: City with 2x population = 2x gas stations • Reality: City with 2x population = maybe 1.5x gas stations (far smaller increase) • There's a specific formula that predicts this Reading Strategy Insight: We're getting our answer! The key insight is "not direct proportion, but far smaller." |
| "This implies that given a city's population, we can predict how many service stations the city needs." | What it says: Because there's a formula, we can predict gas station needs from population size. What it does: Restates and simplifies the previous sentence's implication. Source/Type: Author's logical conclusion Connection to Previous Sentences: This is NOT new information - it's explaining what the "precise formula" from sentence 2 means in practical terms. Visualization: • Input: City population (e.g., 200,000) • Formula: [Some mathematical relationship] • Output: Predicted number of gas stations needed Reading Strategy Insight: Feel relieved here - this is simplification, not new complexity. The author is helping us understand what "precise formula" means. |
| "The bigger the city, the fewer gas stations needed per thousand people." | What it says: Large cities are more efficient - they need fewer gas stations per capita than small cities. What it does: Provides the clearest, simplest restatement of the scaling relationship. Source/Type: Author's simplified explanation Connection to Previous Sentences: • Sentence 2 told us: "not in direct proportion...far smaller number" • Sentence 3 told us: we can predict using a formula • NOW Sentence 4: Gives us the simple takeaway in everyday language Visualization: • Small City (100,000 people): Maybe 50 gas stations = 0.5 per thousand • Large City (1,000,000 people): Maybe 300 gas stations = 0.3 per thousand • Bigger city = more efficient per capita Reading Strategy Insight: This is the golden sentence - pure simplification! We now understand the scaling relationship in plain English. |
| "The same scaling relationship holds for certain other aspects of infrastructure." | What it says: This efficiency pattern applies to other types of infrastructure too, not just gas stations. What it does: Expands the scope while reinforcing the core concept. Source/Type: Author's factual statement Connection to Previous Sentences: This builds on our established understanding by showing the pattern is broader - it's not unique to gas stations. Visualization: • Gas stations: ✓ (we just learned this) • Roads, water systems, electrical grids: Likely ✓ too • Pattern: Bigger cities = more efficient infrastructure per capita Reading Strategy Insight: This reinforces rather than complicates - we're seeing the same principle applied more broadly. What We Know So Far: Cities show scaling efficiency - larger cities need proportionally less infrastructure per person, following predictable formulas. |
| "Interestingly, a similar scaling relationship occurs among organisms." | What it says: Animals show a similar efficiency pattern to what we just learned about cities. What it does: Introduces an analogy/parallel case to reinforce the scaling concept. Source/Type: Author's transitional observation Connection to Previous Sentences: This creates a parallel - we're about to see the SAME type of relationship (scaling efficiency) in a different context (biology vs. cities). Visualization: • Cities: Bigger = more efficient infrastructure per capita • Animals: Bigger = [we're about to learn what's more efficient] • Same underlying pattern in both Reading Strategy Insight: "Similar scaling relationship" tells us we're not learning something completely new - we're seeing our established concept in a new domain. |
| "Outside their host organisms, almost all mammal cells have similar rates of energy use." | What it says: When removed from animals' bodies, cells from different mammals use energy at roughly the same rate. What it does: Sets up a baseline comparison point for understanding the scaling relationship in animals. Source/Type: Scientific fact Connection to Previous Sentences: This establishes the "control condition" - when size doesn't matter (outside the body), there's no scaling effect. Visualization: • Mouse cell in lab dish: Uses X energy per hour • Elephant cell in lab dish: Uses roughly X energy per hour too • Outside the body = no size-based efficiency difference Reading Strategy Insight: This seems like a detour, but it's setting up a contrast to highlight the scaling relationship inside organisms. What We Don't Know Yet: How energy use differs when cells ARE inside the animal's body. |
| "But in the animal's body, the larger the animal, the smaller the cells' average at-rest energy needs." | What it says: Inside living animals, cells in larger animals use less energy than cells in smaller animals. What it does: Reveals the biological scaling relationship - this is the animal equivalent of our city infrastructure pattern! Source/Type: Scientific fact Connection to Previous Sentences: • Previous sentence: Outside body = same energy use • THIS sentence: Inside body = scaling efficiency (like cities!) • This parallels "bigger cities need fewer gas stations per thousand people" Visualization: • Mouse cells (in living mouse): High energy use per cell • Elephant cells (in living elephant): Lower energy use per cell • Bigger animal = more efficient cells (like bigger city = more efficient infrastructure) Reading Strategy Insight: We're seeing the SAME pattern we learned about cities! This reinforces rather than complicates our understanding. |
| "Thus an elephant's cells individually consume far less energy than a mouse's." | What it says: Elephant cells use much less energy per cell than mouse cells. What it does: Provides a concrete, memorable restatement of the biological scaling relationship. Source/Type: Author's concrete example/restatement Connection to Previous Sentences: This is pure restatement - giving us a specific, easy-to-remember example of "larger animal, smaller cells' energy needs." Visualization: • Mouse cell: Uses lots of energy (like small city needing many gas stations per capita) • Elephant cell: Uses little energy (like big city needing few gas stations per capita) • Same efficiency pattern in both domains Reading Strategy Insight: Another golden sentence of simplification! "Elephant vs. mouse" gives us a concrete way to remember the biological scaling. |
| "Kleiber's law, which describes mammals' at-rest energy needs, indicates that they increase at a significantly slower rate than body weight." | What it says: There's a scientific law showing that energy needs don't increase proportionally with body size - they increase much more slowly. What it does: Provides the formal scientific name and restates the scaling principle we've been learning about. Source/Type: Scientific law/principle Connection to Previous Sentences: "Kleiber's law" is the formal name for what we just learned about elephant vs. mouse cells. "Significantly slower rate" = the efficiency scaling we've been discussing. Visualization: • If proportional: 10x heavier animal = 10x energy needs • Kleiber's law: 10x heavier animal = maybe 6x energy needs • Same "not proportional, but smaller" pattern from city infrastructure Reading Strategy Insight: We're seeing our city pattern has a formal scientific parallel - this validates and reinforces our understanding. |
| "The relevant scaling relationship is described by a formula quite like the one applicable to city infrastructure." | What it says: The mathematical formula for biological scaling is very similar to the formula for city infrastructure scaling. What it does: Explicitly connects our two examples and reinforces that we're seeing the same fundamental pattern. Source/Type: Author's analytical connection Connection to Previous Sentences: This ties together everything we've learned - the city infrastructure formula from the beginning and Kleiber's law are mathematically similar. Visualization: • City formula: Population → Infrastructure needs • Kleiber's formula: Body weight → Energy needs • Both show: Bigger size = proportionally less resource need per unit Reading Strategy Insight: This sentence confirms we've been learning about ONE fundamental pattern appearing in two different contexts, not two separate complex topics. |
| "Physicist Geoffrey West has argued that a scaling relationship somewhat like Kleiber's is theoretically likely in systems using a network of branching tubes to convey energy and nutrients efficiently throughout a three- dimensional body." | What it says: A scientist explains that this scaling pattern makes theoretical sense for any system that uses branching networks to distribute resources efficiently in 3D space. What it does: Introduces a theoretical framework that explains WHY we see these scaling patterns. Source/Type: Researcher's theoretical argument Connection to Previous Sentences: This provides the underlying explanation for both the city and biological examples we've been learning about - they both involve branching distribution networks. Visualization: • Tree-like networks: Trunk → branches → smaller branches → leaves • Efficient distribution through branching = scaling efficiency • Both cities and organisms use this architecture Reading Strategy Insight: This gives us the "why" behind our established pattern - we're gaining deeper understanding, not new complexity. What We Don't Know Yet: What specific examples of branching networks the author will mention. |
| "Such a transport system could be the circulatory system's architecture, but also a city's systems of roads, cables, and pipes." | What it says: Examples of these branching networks include blood vessels in animals and infrastructure networks in cities. What it does: Provides concrete examples and brings our two main cases (cities and organisms) back together under one unifying explanation. Source/Type: Author's examples/applications Connection to Previous Sentences: This completes the circle - giving specific examples of the "branching tube networks" that explain why both cities and animals show scaling efficiency. Visualization: • Animal: Heart → arteries → smaller vessels → capillaries • City: Main roads → smaller roads → pipes → individual connections • Both use the same branching architecture that creates scaling efficiency Reading Strategy Insight: Perfect conclusion - we now understand that cities and organisms both show scaling efficiency because they both use branching distribution networks. One principle explains everything! What We Know Now: Scaling efficiency appears in both cities and organisms because both use branching networks for resource distribution, and this architecture naturally creates efficiency gains at larger sizes. |
2. Passage Summary:
Author's Purpose:
To explain how scaling efficiency works by showing that the same mathematical relationship appears in both city infrastructure and biological systems, then providing a unifying theory for why this pattern exists.
Summary of Passage Structure:
The author builds their explanation by connecting two seemingly different examples under one common principle:
- First, the author introduces the concept of scaling efficiency using cities as an example, showing that larger cities need proportionally fewer gas stations and other infrastructure per person than smaller cities.
- Next, the author demonstrates that the same scaling pattern exists in biology, where larger animals have cells that use less energy per cell than smaller animals, despite cells being similar when removed from their host organisms.
- Then, the author explicitly connects these two examples by pointing out that both follow very similar mathematical formulas, establishing that we're seeing the same fundamental relationship in different contexts.
- Finally, the author provides a unifying explanation through a physicist's theory that any system using branching networks to distribute resources efficiently will naturally show this scaling pattern, giving specific examples of blood vessels in animals and infrastructure networks in cities.
Main Point:
Both cities and living organisms show the same type of efficiency gains as they get larger because they both rely on branching network systems to distribute resources, and this type of architecture naturally creates scaling efficiency where bigger systems need proportionally fewer resources per unit than smaller systems.
3. Question Analysis:
The question asks for the "primary purpose" of the passage, which means we need to identify the author's main goal or overarching intent throughout the entire text.
Connecting to Our Passage Analysis:
From our analysis, we can see that the passage follows a clear structure:
- The author introduces scaling efficiency in cities (gas stations example)
- Shows the same pattern exists in biology (animal cell energy use)
- Explicitly connects the two examples with similar mathematical formulas
- Provides a unifying theoretical explanation (branching networks)
- Gives concrete examples of branching systems in both contexts
The passage analysis reveals that the author is demonstrating how "the same fundamental relationship" appears "in different contexts" and then explaining why this pattern exists across diverse systems.
Prethinking:
Based on our passage analysis, the primary purpose appears to be showing that a specific pattern (scaling efficiency) appears in multiple, seemingly unrelated areas (cities and biology), then explaining why this pattern emerges. The author isn't just describing one phenomenon, but illustrating how the same underlying principle manifests across different domains. This suggests we're looking for an answer choice that captures this idea of a pattern appearing in diverse phenomena.
Answer Choices Explained
A
describe a series of stages in the development of knowledge about a certain type of pattern
Why It's Wrong:
- The passage doesn't trace the historical development or stages of knowledge about scaling relationships
- No mention of how understanding evolved over time or different phases of discovery
- The author presents established facts rather than describing knowledge development
Common Student Mistakes:
- Does mentioning Kleiber's law mean we're seeing stages of development? → No, the author uses Kleiber's law as established scientific fact to support the pattern, not to show how knowledge developed over time
- Is Geoffrey West's theory a new stage of understanding? → No, West's theory is presented as an explanation for the existing pattern, not as a developmental stage
B
make a general point about the significance of relative size in social organization
Why It's Wrong:
- Too narrow - focuses only on "social organization" when the passage covers both cities AND biological systems
- Misses the biological examples entirely (animal cells, Kleiber's law)
- The passage isn't making a general point about social organization but showing a specific pattern across different domains
Common Student Mistakes:
- Since cities are social organizations, is this the main focus? → No, cities are just one of two major examples; the passage gives equal attention to biological systems
- Is "relative size" the key concept here? → Size is important, but the focus is on the scaling relationship pattern, not size in general
C
make a case for the usefulness of mathematics in various scientific endeavors
Why It's Wrong:
- Mathematics is a tool used in the passage, not the main focus
- The author doesn't argue for mathematics' usefulness but uses mathematical relationships to illustrate a pattern
- The emphasis is on the scaling phenomenon itself, not on mathematical methodology
Common Student Mistakes:
- Since the passage mentions formulas and Kleiber's law, is it promoting mathematical approaches? → No, these mathematical tools help describe the pattern, but aren't the main subject
- Does Geoffrey West's theoretical work show mathematics being useful? → The focus is on his explanation of the pattern, not on advocating for mathematical methods
D
describe and illustrate a pattern found in diverse phenomena
Why It's Right:
- The passage clearly describes the scaling efficiency pattern in both cities and biological systems
- Illustrates this pattern with concrete examples (gas stations, animal cells)
- Shows the same mathematical relationship appearing in "diverse phenomena" (cities vs. organisms)
- Provides a unifying explanation for why this pattern appears across different domains
Key Evidence: "The relevant scaling relationship is described by a formula quite like the one applicable to city infrastructure" - this explicitly connects the pattern across different phenomena, and the entire passage structure moves from describing the pattern in cities, to showing it in biology, to explaining why it appears in both.
E
suggest through examples that nature exhibits pervasive, mathematically describable regularities
Why It's Wrong:
- Too broad - suggests the passage is about nature's general mathematical regularity rather than one specific pattern
- "Pervasive" implies the passage covers many different types of patterns, but it focuses on one scaling relationship
- The passage includes cities, which are human-made, not just natural phenomena
Common Student Mistakes:
- Since both cities and organisms show mathematical patterns, does this suggest nature is mathematically regular? → The passage focuses on one specific pattern, not on demonstrating general mathematical regularity in nature
- Is the branching network theory about natural mathematical principles? → The theory explains one specific scaling phenomenon, not general mathematical regularity
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