Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the passage’s broader implication that octopus intelligence challenges human assumptions about the uniqueness and evolutionary pathways of cognition?

. This question is difficult because the passage’s argument operates on two intertwined levels. Octopuses display behaviors suggestive of intelligence. Therefore, intelligence may emerge through radically different biological architectures and evolutionary pathways than humans assumed. To weaken the argument effectively, the correct option must attack the link between observed behavior and meaningful cognition itself. A directly destabilizes the passage’s deepest inference. The passage repeatedly treats octopus behavior as evidence that intelligence may be decentralized, non-human cognition may emerge independently, and familiar mammalian structures are not necessary for “mind-like” behavior. But if these behaviors can emerge through reflexive distributed systems, without conscious representation, without flexible cognition, and without anything resembling thought, then the argument’s philosophical escalation weakens dramatically. The option B has a trap. It sounds powerful because it says, “Other animals are smarter.” But the passage never argues octopuses are the most intelligent animals. Its real claim is octopuses are unsettling because intelligence emerged through radically unfamiliar biological conditions. Even if dolphins outperform octopuses, the argument survives intact. The option C partially weakens the evidence base, but only locally. Even if some laboratory behaviors are stress-induced decentralized nervous systems, adaptive flexibility, and unusual cognition still remain unexplained. The broader philosophical argument about alternative evolutionary intelligence architectures survives. So C weakens evidence quality, not the conceptual foundation. D actually strengthens the passage. The author explicitly emphasizes that octopus cognition evolved independently and through radically different biological pathways. Independent evolution makes the argument more powerful - intelligence may recur evolutionarily under diverse conditions.

Which of the following most precisely captures the author’s primary argument regarding octopus intelligence?

. A = factually true but still descriptive. It captures the observation, not the philosophical consequence. B = the spine. The passage repeatedly destabilizes human-centered assumptions about cognition and evolutionary inevitability. C = narrower and mechanistic. Nervous systems matter because they challenge assumptions about intelligence, not as isolated biological trivia. D = strong but secondary. Survival pressure explains emergence, not the passage’s larger epistemic challenge. Note: The passage is ultimately less about octopuses than about humanity’s tendency to confuse familiarity with superiority.

The scientist’s comparison of interacting with octopuses to “making contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial” primarily serves to:

. This one is intentionally cruel because B sounds deeper. A = structurally primary. The comparison exists mainly to communicate radical unfamiliarity — intelligence without recognizable human markers. B = tempting because the passage does gesture toward redefining intelligence, but the extraterrestrial analogy itself functions more immediately as a metaphor for cognitive alienness. C = opposite of the author’s tone. D = scientifically true but not the primary rhetorical function of the comparison. Note - The trap here is choosing the more philosophically ambitious option instead of the one closest to the passage’s rhetorical purpose.

The passage’s discussion of anthropomorphism primarily functions to:

. A = the correct balance. The passage introduces skepticism without fully collapsing into dismissal. Projection is treated as a legitimate caution. B = too historically broad and overstated. C = overly destructive. The passage complicates the evidence but does not invalidate it. D = attractive because it’s textually supported, but it identifies difference, not the function of the skepticism discussion itself. Note - The passage carefully walks a tightrope i.e to avoid naive anthropomorphism, while still taking octopus intelligence seriously. That tension is the real point.

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The Alien Intelligence of the Octopus

Explore the mysterious intelligence of octopuses and why these solitary sea creatures are reshaping how humans understand consciousness.

Octopuses are full of surprises. Marine biologists studying their behavior discovered that these soft-bodied creatures consistently display abilities associated with advanced intelligence. Unlike most intelligent animals, octopuses are solitary, short-lived, and biologically unlike anything humans instinctively recognize as “mind-like.” Yet they solve problems, adapt to unfamiliar situations, and often behave with startling unpredictability. Watching an octopus explore a tank can feel strangely theatrical, as though the creature is not merely reacting to the world but actively experimenting with it. Much…

RC Questions

Each essay includes four exam-level RC questions for CAT, GMAT, GRE, XAT and IPMAT.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the passage’s broader implication that octopus intelligence challenges human assumptions about the uniqueness and evolutionary pathways of cognition?
This question is difficult because the passage’s argument operates on two intertwined levels. Octopuses display behaviors suggestive of intelligence. Therefore, intelligence may emerge through radically different biological architectures and evolutionary pathways than humans assumed. To weaken the argument effectively, the correct option must attack the link between observed behavior and meaningful cognition itself. A directly destabilizes the passage’s deepest inference. The passage repeatedly treats octopus behavior as evidence that intelligence may be decentralized, non-human cognition may emerge independently, and familiar mammalian structures are not necessary for “mind-like” behavior. But if these behaviors can emerge through reflexive distributed systems, without conscious representation, without flexible cognition, and without anything resembling thought, then the argument’s philosophical escalation weakens dramatically. The option B has a trap. It sounds powerful because it says, “Other animals are smarter.” But the passage never argues octopuses are the most intelligent animals. Its real claim is octopuses are unsettling because intelligence emerged through radically unfamiliar biological conditions. Even if dolphins outperform octopuses, the argument survives intact. The option C partially weakens the evidence base, but only locally. Even if some laboratory behaviors are stress-induced decentralized nervous systems, adaptive flexibility, and unusual cognition still remain unexplained. The broader philosophical argument about alternative evolutionary intelligence architectures survives. So C weakens evidence quality, not the conceptual foundation. D actually strengthens the passage. The author explicitly emphasizes that octopus cognition evolved independently and through radically different biological pathways. Independent evolution makes the argument more powerful - intelligence may recur evolutionarily under diverse conditions.
Which of the following most precisely captures the author’s primary argument regarding octopus intelligence?
A = factually true but still descriptive. It captures the observation, not the philosophical consequence. B = the spine. The passage repeatedly destabilizes human-centered assumptions about cognition and evolutionary inevitability. C = narrower and mechanistic. Nervous systems matter because they challenge assumptions about intelligence, not as isolated biological trivia. D = strong but secondary. Survival pressure explains emergence, not the passage’s larger epistemic challenge. Note: The passage is ultimately less about octopuses than about humanity’s tendency to confuse familiarity with superiority.
The scientist’s comparison of interacting with octopuses to “making contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial” primarily serves to:
This one is intentionally cruel because B sounds deeper. A = structurally primary. The comparison exists mainly to communicate radical unfamiliarity — intelligence without recognizable human markers. B = tempting because the passage does gesture toward redefining intelligence, but the extraterrestrial analogy itself functions more immediately as a metaphor for cognitive alienness. C = opposite of the author’s tone. D = scientifically true but not the primary rhetorical function of the comparison. Note - The trap here is choosing the more philosophically ambitious option instead of the one closest to the passage’s rhetorical purpose.
The passage’s discussion of anthropomorphism primarily functions to:
A = the correct balance. The passage introduces skepticism without fully collapsing into dismissal. Projection is treated as a legitimate caution. B = too historically broad and overstated. C = overly destructive. The passage complicates the evidence but does not invalidate it. D = attractive because it’s textually supported, but it identifies difference, not the function of the skepticism discussion itself. Note - The passage carefully walks a tightrope i.e to avoid naive anthropomorphism, while still taking octopus intelligence seriously. That tension is the real point.

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The Alien Intelligence of the Octopus