GRE Reading Comprehension

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Source: 1996

An experiment conducted aboard Space Lab in 1983 was the first attempt to grow protein crystals in the low-gravity environment of space. That experiment is still cited as evi- dence that growing crystals in microgravity can increase crystal size: the authors reported that they grew lysozyme protein crystals 1,000 times larger than crystals grown in the same device on Earth. Unfortunately, the authors did not point out that their crystals were no larger than the average crystal grown using other, more standard tech- niques in an Earth laboratory.

No research has yet produced results that could justify the enormous costs of producing crystals on a large scale in space. To get an unbiased view of the usefulness of micro- gravity crystal growth, crystals grown in space must be compared with the best crystals that have been grown with standard techniques on Earth. Given the great expense of conducting such experiments with proper controls, and the limited promise of experiments performed thus far, it is questionable whether further experiments in this area should even be conducted.

Question List: 1 2 3 4

It can be inferred from the passage that the authorwould find the Space Lab experiment more impressiveif which of the following were true?

  • A The results of the Space Lab experiment could bereplicated in producing other kinds of crystals inaddition to lysozyme protein.
  • B The device used in the experiment produced largercrystals on Earth than it did in space.
  • C The size of the crystals produced in the experi- ment exceeded the size of crystals grown inEarth laboratories using standard techniques.
  • D The cost of producing the crystals in spaceexceeded that of producing them using standardlaboratory techniques.
  • E The standard techniques used in Earth laboratorieswere modified in the Space Lab experiment dueto the effects of microgravity.

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