Question 20.
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
Humans have managed to tweak the underlying biology of various plants and animals to produce high-tech crops and microbes. But regulating these entities is complicated, as the framework of policies and procedures are outdated and not flexible enough to adapt to emerging technology. The question is whether regulation will ever be able to keep up with human innovation, to regulate living things, which are apt to be unpredictable and unique; to capture all the potential risks when new biological entities are introduced, or when they pass on variations of their genes?
Question Explanation
The passage discusses the challenges of regulating innovations in biotechnology. It highlights two key issues: (i) current regulations are outdated and insufficient for new biological advancements, and (ii) the unpredictable nature of living entities and rapid technological changes make it difficult to design a regulatory framework that anticipates all risks and contingencies. The core question is whether regulation can ever keep pace with the unpredictable and unique outcomes of biotechnology. Option C correctly touches upon these ideas.
The other options are either too narrow or miss the essence. Option A focuses on calibration and scientists' roles, which is not the central concern of the passage. Similarly, Option B highlights the urgency for new rules but omits the skepticism about achieving comprehensive regulation. Option D overemphasises the impossibility of imagining all risks without addressing the need for flexibility in regulations.
Hence, Option C is the best choice.
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