Source: Official Guide Revised GRE 1st Ed. Part 4; Set 4; #6
The author refers to a hungry lizard
tapas gupta
The said sentence says that the predator is aggressive and attuned for its prey and also aware closer to human consciousness than lizard's snap. How then lizard's snap is considered as low consciousness?
Jan 20, 2021 • Comment
Adam
Hi Tapas,
So "aware in a sense closer to human consciousness than, say, a hungry lizard’s instinctive snap at a passing beetle" means that the predator is closer to human consciousness than a lizard. Human consciousness is very high consciousness, higher than both the lizard or the predator. Hence, the lizards snap is comparatively low conscious, and more instinctive. Instinctive is the opposite of conscious.
Hope that helps!
Jan 23, 2021 • Reply
Chris Lele
Oct 5, 2012 • Comment
Udayan Ghosh
it is very easy to think that the terms higher and lower level of consciousness are actually not discussed in the passage..some may think it is a scientific term that is not mentioned in the passage..so it cannot be the answer..at least that is how I got it wrong...
Jun 23, 2016 • Reply
Adam
Hi Udayan!
First, note that the term "consciousness" is used in the passage:
1. "The kind of intelligence favored by the interplay of increasingly smarter catchers and increasingly keener escapers is defined by attention—that aspect of mind carrying consciousness forward from one moment to the next."
2. Consciousness links past attention to the present and permits the integration of details with perceived ends and purposes. The elements of intelligence and consciousness come together marvelously to produce different styles in predator and prey.
3. The predator is searchingly aggressive, inner-directed, tuned by the 30 nervous system and the adrenal hormones, but aware in a sense closer to human consciousness than, say, a hungry lizard’s instinctive snap at a passing beetle.
So this term is used several times in the text. It's not an arcane scientific term.
Second, when trying to understand the answer to an OG question, you should always try to mold your own thinking to the way the question works, rather than looking for ways to argue that the question is incorrect or somehow unfair. This question was written by the people that write the GRE, so you need to adapt your own thinking to match theirs in order to do well on the test :)
Jun 23, 2016 • Reply
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Official GRE Material
Official Guide Revised GRE 1st Ed.
Official Guide Revised GRE 2nd Ed.
Set 4. Reading Comprehension: Medium
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