PT136.S1.P4.Q24

PrepTest 136 - Section 1 - Passage 4 - Question 24

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P1

Advances in scientific understanding often do not build directly or smoothly in response to the data that are amassed, and in retrospect, after a major revision of theory, it may seem strange that a crucial hypothesis was long overlooked. ███

Intro to Topic · Scientific progress is not linear; crucial idea are sometimes overlooked
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Example · Splitting the nucleus of an atom
Between 1934 to 1939, scientists split the atom without recognizing that they had done so.
P2

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Theory · Atoms can be split
It was known that in theory atoms could be split.
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Experiment · Neutron-bombardment was not intended to split the atom
Scientists did not expect that to happen.
P3

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Experimental Results · Meitner and Fermi's experiment produced "puzzling" substances
They didn't know what the substances were (mainly) because they weren't expecting to have split uranium.
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Experimental Results · Hahn identified substances as barium and technetium
Barium and technetium's protons and neutrons add up to the protons and neutrons of uranium.
P4

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Hypothesis · Nuclear fission occurred
Meitner finally realized that they had achieved nuclear fission.
Passage Style
Phenomenon-hypothesis (RC)
Single position
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24.

The most likely reason that ███ ███████████ ██████████ ██ ███ █████ ████████ ██ ███ ██████ █████████ █████ ████ ████ ███████ █████ █████████ ███████ █████████ ███ ███████ ███████████ ███████████ ██ ████ ███ ███████

a

was dependent upon ███ ████████████ ████ ████ ███ ████████

There’s no evidence that Meitner’s own insight into neutron bombardment was based on the calculations of the physicists at the beginning of P2.

6%
b

paved the way ███ ████ ██ ███████████ ███████ ██ ██████ ████ ██████████ ██████

There’s no evidence that Meitner’s work made theoretical physics more acceptable in other countries. We also don’t have any reason to think the physicists described at the beginning of P2 cared about making physics more acceptable abroad.

3%
c

proved that the ██████ ██ █████ ████ █████████ ████████

There’s no evidence that Meitner’s work showed that nuclei of atoms were “generally” unstable. We also don’t have any reason to think the physicists described at the beginning of P2 cared about showing that atoms were generally unstable.

3%
d

confirmed their earlier ████ ██████████ ████ █████ █████ ██ █████

Supported. We know the physicists produced calculations showing that “in principle it should be possible to break atoms apart.” Meitner’s insight regarding neutron bombardment of uranium confirmed that breaking atoms apart is possible.

86%
e

came after years ██ █████████ ███ ████ ████ ███████████ █████████ ███████ ████ ███ ████

We have no reason to think the physicists described at the beginning of P2 would care about how many years Meitner spent analyzing data. So it doesn’t make sense for (E) to be the reason the physicists would be pleased with Meitner’s insight.

2%

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