PT143.S2.P4.Q23

PrepTest 143 - Section 2 - Passage 4 - Question 23

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P1

To glass researchers it seems somewhat strange that many people throughout the world share the persistent belief that window glass flows slowly downward like a very viscous liquid. ████████ ██ █████████ ██████ ██ ███████ ████████ ███ ██████████ ███ ████ ███ █████ ████ ███████ ██ ███████ ██████ ███████ ██ ███ ███████ ███

Common belief · Glass flows downward like a liquid
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Origin of false belief · People misunderstand the fact that glass atoms aren't in a fixed structure
Because the atoms aren't fixed, people think that glass is like a liquid. By using "myth," the author indicates the common belief is false.
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Features of glass · Transition temperature
Cooled below the transition temperature, glass has physical properties of solid, even though it has non-fixed structure.
P2

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Debunking hypothesis about windows · People think stained glass windows are thicker at the bottom than the top because glass flows downward
Even though glass does very slightly flow downward, research shows this belief about stained glass windows is wrong.
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Study debunking hypothesis · Zanotto's research
It would take too long for the thicker bottoms of windows to result from glass flowing downward.
P3

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Elaborating on study · Although composition of windows can make glass flow faster, still not fast enough
P4

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Author's hypothesis · Thicker bottoms of glass are due to manufacturing methods
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Support for hypothesis · In 19th century, had to make glass in way that thickened the edges
People probably put thicker edges toward bottom for structural stability.
Passage Style
Critique or debate
Phenomenon-hypothesis (RC)
Show answer
23.

Which one of the following ████ ██████████ ███ ████████ ████ ██ ███ ███████ ██ █████████ ██████

a

They provide some █████████ ████████████ ████ ██ ███████ █ ████ ████ ███ ███████ ████ ██ ████ ███████████

This is stated in P3. Zanotto’s study gives quantitative data to support what many scientists had previously reasoned.

66%
b

They have stimulated █████████ ███ ████████ █████████ ██ █████ ████ ██████████ ██████████ ███████ ███ ████ ████████

Unsupported. The author doesn’t indicate that Zanotto’s research stimulated new research. Zanotto’s study is new research, but we don’t know whether or not the results of Zanotto’s study then went on to stimulate new research.

12%
c

They offer a ██████ █████████ ███████████ ██ ███ █ ████████ ██████████ ████ ██ ██ ██████ █████████

Unsupported. The results of Zanotto’s study don’t address how the mistaken hypothesis came to be widely believed. Instead, the study provides data to debunk that popular view.

13%
d

They provide a ██████████ █████ ███ ███████████ ███ ██████████ █████ ████ ████ ██████████ ███████ ██ ██ █████████████

Unsupported. Zanotto’s research debunks a popular belief; the results don’t reconcile two scientific views. In fact, only one scientific view is given––that glass flows too slowly for the flow to cause the varying thickness that is observed in medieval glass.

4%
e

They suggest that ███████ ██ ███ ██████████ ██████████ ████████ █ ████████ ███████████

Unsupported. Zanotto’s research only debunks the downward-flow hypothesis; Zanotto’s results don’t suggest that neither of two hypotheses explain the phenomenon of uneven glass thickness.

6%

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