Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardSupport and Cause-Effect Clues

Given that recent epigenetic profiling demonstrated that environmental stressors can induce transgenerational chromatin modifications, researchers recognized that phenotypic variation is far more malleable than previously assumed; consequently, these empirical findings have _________ the long-standing dogma that DNA sequence alone dictates inherited traits.

Which of the following words best completes the blank to preserve the logical cause-and-effect relationship established in the sentence?

  1. upendedAnswer
  2. B
    corroborated
  3. C
    promulgated
  4. D
    presaged
  5. E
    obfuscated

Answer

upended
The sentence uses the causal premise signal 'Given that' to establish that new epigenetic discoveries show greater trait malleability, followed by the effect signal 'consequently'. The word 'upended' logically completes the thought by indicating that these new findings overturned or invalidated the traditional belief that DNA sequence alone determines inheritance.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify structural signals and causal indicators in the sentence.
The phrase 'Given that' introduces the premise (epigenetic profiling shows transgenerational chromatin modifications), and 'consequently' introduces the logical effect of this premise on the traditional dogma.
Recognizing cause-and-effect signal words establishes the required direction of logical flow.
2
Analyze the relationship between the new evidence and the old dogma.
The new evidence demonstrates that phenotypic variation is 'far more malleable' than previously believed, which directly opposes the 'dogma that DNA sequence alone dictates inherited traits.'
Determining the semantic relationship reveals that the new findings must overturn, invalidate, or dismantle the old dogma.
3
Evaluate the option choices against the required semantic fit.
The word 'upended' precisely captures the action of overturning or invalidating a previous belief structure based on new causal evidence.
Matching the derived target meaning with the precise vocabulary definition isolates the correct answer.

Key Concept

Support and Cause-Effect Clues in Text Completion
Rate this question

Topics

Support and Cause-Effect Clues

More questions from this topic