Question

Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.

• A. To create a synapse, the neuron has specialized structures, often seen as tiny swellings, at its terminal end of the axon where it stores the chemicals that are emitted to transmit a signal to the next neuron.
• B. This fetal warm-up act—the soldering of neural connections before the eyes actually function—is crucial to the performance of the visual system.
• C. The reasons for this paring back of synapses is a mystery, but synaptic pruning is thought to sharpen and reinforce the “correct” synapses, while removing the weak and unnecessary ones.
• D. Neural connections between the eyes and the brain are formed long before birth, establishing the wiring and the circuitry that allow a child to begin visualizing the world the minute she emerges from the womb.
• E. During this rehearsal period, synapses—points of chemical connection—between nerve cells are generated in great excess, only to be pruned back during later development.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The sentences provided revolve around the theme of neural development and synaptic activity. To identify which sentence does not belong, we evaluate how each sentence contributes to a coherent narrative:

• Sentence 1 discusses neural synapses and their specialized structures.
• Sentence 2 refers to prenatal neural development and visual system preparation.
• Sentence 3 talks about synaptic pruning, a natural process in neural development.
• Sentence 4 concerns the formation of neural connections between the eyes and brain before birth.
• Sentence 5 elaborates on synapses being generated in excess and later pruned.

Sentences 2, 3, 4, and 5 collectively focus on fetal development, synaptic overproduction, and pruning as part of the visual system's maturation process. Sentence 1, however, shifts the focus to the physical structure of synapses without relating to the theme of neural development and visual system priming in early life. Therefore, the odd sentence is:

To create a synapse, the neuron has specialized structures, often seen as tiny swellings, at its terminal end of the axon where it stores the chemicals that are emitted to transmit a signal to the next neuron.