Entry Exam Category: College Admission Exams
Course: Accuplacer
Exam: Accuplacer Reading Passage-Based Practice Test

Practice Question

Extract

Poison frogs become poisonous by isolating chemicals from their food and storing them in their skin. One such compound, epibatidine, is a stronger painkiller than morphine, but has not been tested in humans because even low doses are deadly to rodents. But for the frogs themselves, this powerful neurotoxin is totally impotent. According to a study published in Science, several groups of epibatidine-bearing frogs have independently evolved amino acid changes in the toxin's target, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. These modifications allow the amphibians to escape self-toxicity.
The main idea of the passage is that some types of poison frogs:

Answer Choices

  • A: have developed the capacity to protect themselves from the poison they carry in their skin
  • B: could eventually produce a natural pain relief option for people who suffer from headaches
  • C: combine chemicals from their food to create a toxic substance that keeps them safe from predators
  • D: can be grouped based on the changes they've made to their nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The passage explains that poison frogs carry a potent toxin (epibatidine) in their skin, which is deadly to rodents but harmless to the frogs themselves because of changes to a receptor in their bodies. This highlights their evolutionary adaptation to resist self-toxicity, making Option A the main idea.

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