Questions 59–60 are based on the following reading passage.
During the 1960s and ‘70s, scientists were concerned and puzzled by
a large gap in
the human fossil record. The “aquatic ape theory” gained prominence as
an explanation for
this gap. This theory posited that primitive humans were forced toward a
littoral lifestyle by
competition for arboreal resources. Analogies were made to seal
populations, who sleep on
5 land at night but spend most of their days in coastal waters.
Proponents pointed to various
physiological human attributes, such as bipedalism and the webbing
between human toes, as
extant adaptations.
However, the aspect of the theory that captured the public
imagination and undoubtedly
boosted its standing was the point that this hypothesis explained human
hairlessness; as with
10 dolphins, this streamlining would facilitate swimming and diving.
Proponents noted that the
remaining body hair would match the flow of water, and extreme
advocates explained the
gender difference in hair by suggesting that females much more rarely
ventured out of the
shallows and into the putatively more dangerous forests and savannahs.
Nonetheless, despite the popular stature of the theory, the scientific
community almost
15 unanimously rejects it as mere conjecture not only because of the lack of
supporting evidence
but also because its claims do not withstand scrutiny. While bipedalism
does facilitate
swimming, it is even more of an advantage in terrestrial pursuits.
Further, biomechanical
analysis indicates that humans remain such inadequate swimmers that
they could not so
succeed. As for hairlessness, critics point out that other semi-aquatic
mammals actually have
20 dense fur and/or barrel shaped torsos for heat retention. Today, the
theory, while still
championed by a prominent writer but non-scientist, has no serious
support among
mainstream-trained paleoanthropologists.
59. The passage implies that, according to the theory, a male aquatic ape
would most likely do which of the following?
(A)
Spend almost all of its time in the water
(B)
Spend its nights in the water, but its days partly on land
(C)
Spend its days partly in the water, but its nights partly on land
(D)
Spend its days mostly in the water, but its nights on land
(E)
Spend almost all its time on land
60. The author describes a remaining proponent of the theory as a “non-
scientist” (line 21) in order to do which of the following?
(A)
Cast doubt upon her objectivity
(B)
Tout the superiority of common sense over academics
(C)
Cast doubt upon her expertise
(D)
Cast doubt upon mainstream paleoanthropologists
(E)
Illustrate the sexism of mainstream scientists
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