Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

Passage-1

Researchers studying genetic control of animal behavior face challenges, as most behaviors involve multiple genes, and identifying them was difficult until recently. Even when a single gene affects behavior, definitions of a “behavioral gene” vary across disciplines. Neuroscientists, focused on the nervous system, use a broad definition, while ethologists, concerned with evolution, adopt a narrower one. Ethologists require that a behavioral gene alters a specific, normal behavior without causing illness, thus contributing to evolutionary variation. For example, the fruit fly gene Shaker causes unhealthy shaking under anesthesia and is not considered a behavioral gene by ethologists. In contrast, the gene period (per), which controls circadian rhythms, qualifies as it alters a normal, healthy behavior. Such distinctions reflect differing research priorities—neuroscience focuses on mechanisms, while ethology emphasizes evolutionary relevance—highlighting the complexity in defining and studying behavioral genetics across disciplines.

The primary purpose of the passage is to:
(a) highlight the historical difficulty in the molecular identification of genes responsible for polygenic behavioral traits.
(b) argue for the methodological and conceptual superiority of the ethological definition of a "behavioral gene".
(c) explain the fundamental differences in research objectives and theoretical emphases between neuroscience and ethology.
(d) detail the specific genetic pathways and neural mechanisms through which the Shaker and period (per).

Question

Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only.

Passage-1

Researchers studying genetic control of animal behavior face challenges, as most behaviors involve multiple genes, and identifying them was difficult until recently. Even when a single gene affects behavior, definitions of a &ldquo;behavioral gene&rdquo; vary across disciplines. Neuroscientists, focused on the nervous system, use a broad definition, while ethologists, concerned with evolution, adopt a narrower one. Ethologists require that a behavioral gene alters a specific, normal behavior without causing illness, thus contributing to evolutionary variation. For example, the fruit fly gene Shaker causes unhealthy shaking under anesthesia and is not considered a behavioral gene by ethologists. In contrast, the gene period (per), which controls circadian rhythms, qualifies as it alters a normal, healthy behavior. Such distinctions reflect differing research priorities&mdash;neuroscience focuses on mechanisms, while ethology emphasizes evolutionary relevance&mdash;highlighting the complexity in defining and studying behavioral genetics across disciplines.

The primary purpose of the passage is to:
(a) highlight the historical difficulty in the molecular identification of genes responsible for polygenic behavioral traits.
(b) argue for the methodological and conceptual superiority of the ethological definition of a "behavioral gene".
(c) explain the fundamental differences in research objectives and theoretical emphases between neuroscience and ethology.
(d) detail the specific genetic pathways and neural mechanisms through which the Shaker and period (per).

TutorArc · Accepted Answer

Statement (a) is not correct: The difficulty and recent progress in identifying genes is a brief introductory point, but the passage's core is the subsequent discussion of definitional differences.

Statement (b) is not correct: The passage explains the ethological definition and its rationale but does not explicitly argue for its superiority over the neuroscientific one; it presents them as different due to priorities.

Statement (c) is correct: This statement accurately reflects the passage's main thrust: explaining that varying definitions of "behavioral gene" arise from different disciplinary goals (neuroscience: mechanisms; ethology: evolution), which illustrates a broader complexity in the field.

Statement (d) is not correct: The genes are used as examples to clarify the definitional distinction, not to detail their specific pathways, which would be beyond the passage's scope.

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