Reading comp PrepTest 149 · Section 2 · Question 11

Passage

Questions 6-12  .       In a typical Hollywood action movie, the hero  . skirts death to complete a mission. Bad guys Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Science

Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • What must be an analogy is introduced
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • While not 100% apparent before reading the start of paragraph 2, this is an analogy, comparing the heroes of action movies to universes that can sustain life
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • The analogy is brought around to the universe
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Any small change to the laws of physics would have made life impossible
    • Example - Strong nuclear force
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • Some cosmologists make an argument
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Question - If this universe is so improbable, how can it exist?
    • Cosmologist Solution - It's just one of many multiverses, so it's likely one would have life
Paragraph 4
  • Paragraph note
    • The Author poses a question about that view and brings up what it's based on
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Question - How unique are the laws allowing life in our universe?
    • Cosmologists - We can't find another set of laws that lead to life
Paragraph 5
  • Paragraph note
    • The Author points out a flaw in the opposing point and research that calls it into question
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Flaw - The Cosmologists tweak one variable at a time
    • New research by Author - Changing several variables at a time lets you find sets that allow for life
Paragraph 6
  • Paragraph note
    • The Author brings her view back to the question of the multiverse
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • The Author's view doesn't call into question the multiverse because:
      • Models of the universe's creation support a multiverse
      • Other cosmological puzzles are potentially solved by a multiverse
    • This seems more like an add-on since the Author and Cosmologists are on the same side - the main debate is between the Cosmologists and Author over the uniqueness of the physical laws allowing for life
Main Point:
Some cosmologists argue that the laws of physics allowing for life are relatively rare, but recent research shows that there are numerous potential universes with significantly different laws that would allow for life.

Key Lines:
Lines 7-10 - A general view of the universe is established to set up background for the debate
Lines 18-22 - The view of the Cosmologists is introduced
Lines 28-29 - The Author introduces a new question to be answered
Lines 33-35 - The process of the Cosmologists is discussed
Lines 38-39 - A problem with that process is introduced
Lines 40-45 - The Author's research rebutting their view/process is established
Lines 49-50 - A point of agreement between the Author and Cosmologists is noted

Meta-Structure:
There are several Question/Answer substructures here, but the overall passage falls into the Old Belief (Cosmologists)/New Belief (Author) structure. There's a point of agreement noted at the end, however!

Last Thoughts:
There's a lot of information here, and a lot of back and forth. Usually when dealing with Science passages, we're concerned with Causality. Here, there's not a lot of that. Instead, the passage focuses on comparing and contrasting the methods and conclusions drawn by two sides of a debate about laws of physics, life, and the universe/multiverse. We should keep those differences in mind, and also be sure to note the similarity explored at the end.

Also, this passage has a rare feature—the Author speaking in the first person. That allows for stronger answers than we might otherwise expect, as the Author is presenting directly from her experience.

Question prompt

The author's attitude toward Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Science

Answer choices

  1. A
    dismissiveness
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 49-54) This answer is too negative, as the Author provides two reasons to think it might be a helpful theory.
  2. B
    skepticism
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 49-54) While more moderate than (A), this answer is still too negative, as the Author offers reasons to believe the multiverse theory might be correct.
  3. C
    open-mindedness
    Why choice C matches the stem
    Correct.Question Type:
    Author's Attitude

    Strategy Overview:
    Check sections about the topic for notations on the Author's attitude

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    Paragraphs 3 and 6 talk about the multiverse.

    Checking our notations for Paragraph 3, that was all about the view of the cosmologists, so we can't find the Author's attitude towards the multiverse there.

    Paragraph 6, however, definitely has the Author's attitude present. She believes that her work doesn't necessarily call the multiverse theory into question. So her work aligns with it, but that's hardly a statement of support. She goes on to suggest two reasons that the multiverse theory might be correct—""certain"" models of the universe suggest it exists, and it ""may well"" help solve some cosmological puzzles. That's a lot of qualified language, but it's more on the positive than negative side, so let's find an answer that reflects a slightly positive but not fully convinced opinion.

    Answer Explanation:
    (Lines 49-54) This answer is positive but not too committed, making it the perfect answer. The Author thinks her works don't argue against the multiverse theory, and that the theory is suggested by ""certain"" models while also potentially resolving certain puzzles. That sounds like she has an open mind towards the theory.

    Key Takeaway:
    When answering an Author's Attitude question, it's a matter of side and scale. Is the Author positive, negative, or neutral? And if not neutral, how positive or negative? Make sure the answer you select lines up with the opinion and certainty words used by the Author. Here, she was more positive than negative, but her certainty words were all very weak, so we wanted a weakly positive answer.
  4. D
    advocacy
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 49-54) This answer is too positive. The Author uses language too weak to count as advocacy, as she never says anything more than that the multiverse theory might be correct and useful.
  5. E
    enthusiasm
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 49-54) If (D) was too positive, then this answer is more so.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 2%
  2. B 8%
  3. C Credited 69%
  4. D 16%
  5. E 6%

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