PT152.S3.P4.Q24

PrepTest 152 - Section 3 - Passage 4 - Question 24

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P1

Physicists posit that at first our universe was infinitesimally small and infinitely hot and dense. ██ ████ █████████ █ ██████ ██ █████████ ██████ ███████ █████████ ████ ███ ██████ ███ ██ ███ █████ █████████ ██ ██████ ███ █████

Intro topic · Big Bang
Expansion from small, dense, hot universe to larger, cooler universe
P2

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C and C's hypothesis · Big Bang is a recurring event
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Support for hypothesis · Multiverse theory
Earlier Big Bangs have occurred outside of the known universe
P3

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Introduce entropy · Idea that disorder increases over time
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Illustration of entropy · Randomly moving objects in room
Room will tend toward disorder each time an object is moved
P4

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Relevance of entropy to Big Bang · Raises questions about pre-Big Bang universe
If the universe tends toward disorder, how did it ever reach its starting state as small and dense in the first place? Seems too orderly, not random
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C and C's hypothesis · Most likely starting state for universe is empty space
In other words, it's unlikely that the universe would have started as small and dense purely by chance
P5

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G and V's hypothesis · Seemingly empty space can create tiny big bangs
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C and C's hypothesis · Our Big Bang is was a kind of "tiny big bang" in an even larger multiverse
P6

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Significance of hypothesis · Reconciles Big Bang theory with entropy
The larger multiverse can be disordered, random, and full of empty space while still containing pockets of matter and energy for big bangs
Passage Style
Phenomenon-hypothesis (RC)
Single position
Show answer
24.

The author’s reference to a ██████████ ██ ███████ ███ ████████ ██ ███ █████ █████████ █████████ ██████ ██

a

question a presupposition ██ ███ ███ ████ ██████

Garriga and Vilenkin’s research doesn’t disagree with or question a presupposition of the Big Bang theory, so (A) doesn’t describe the author’s purpose in referencing Garriga and Vilenkin’s suggestion.

4%
b

raise a potential █████████ ██ ███████ ███ ████████ ██████

Carroll and Chen use Garriga and Vilenkin’s suggestion to develop their own theory; there is not an adversarial relationship between the two ideas. The author doesn’t reference Garriga and Vilenkin in order to object to Carroll and Chen.

4%
c

illustrate an implication ██ ███████ ███ ████████ ██████

This reverses the relationship. Carroll and Chen take implications from Garriga and Vilenkin’s theory; Garriga and Vilenkin’s suggestion isn’t an implication of Carroll and Chen’s theory.

24%
d

show how a ██████ ██████ ██ ███████ ███ ████ ██ ████████ ██████ ███████ ███ ██████ ██████

This is the purpose of the author’s reference to Garriga and Vilenkin’s suggestion. The puzzle raised by Carroll and Chen is the mystery that the initial condition of our universe was small, hot, and dense when we would expect the starting condition to be cold and empty; Carroll and Chen use Garriga and Vilenkin’s suggestion to resolve the mystery by claiming that our universe came from one of these energy fluctuations within the wider multiverse, thus explaining the small, hot, dense starting condition of our universe.

59%
e

suggest an alternative ███████████ ██ ███ ████████ ████ █████ ███████ ███ ████████ ██████ ██ █████

Garriga and Vilenkin’s suggestion doesn’t propose an alternative to Carroll and Chen’s theory, so (E) doesn’t describe the author’s purpose in referencing Garriga and Vilenkin’s suggestion.

10%

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