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. βββ
Intro to Topic Β·Scientific progress is not linear; crucial idea are sometimes overlooked
Meitner finally realized that they had achieved nuclear fission.
Passage Style
Phenomenon-hypothesis
Single position
27.
According to the passage, which βββ ββ βββ βββββββββ βββ ββββ ββ βββ βββββββ βββββββββ ββββββ βββ ββββββ
Question Type
Stated
Itβs difficult to predict the answer to this question just based on the question stem, because much of the passage relates to physicists in the 1930s. Letβs rely on process of elimination.
a
It neglected earlier βββββββββββ βββββββββββββ
Not supported, because the author doesnβt suggest that physicists failed to realize atoms could be split due to any neglect (meaning, disregard) of earlier theoretical developments. Meitner may have made a crucial theoretical connection that allowed physicists to realize the significance of the neutron bombardment experiments, but this doesnβt imply that physicists besides Meitner neglected anything. Thereβs a difference between, on the one hand, failure to realize the significance of earlier developments and their relationship to oneβs own experiments, and on the other hand, the neglect of earlier developments. In addition, we can intepret Meitner as part of the physics community of the 1930s, which would suggest that the community actually did not neglect earlier developments; Meitnerβs realization of the theoretical connection between the neutron bombardment experiments and the splitting of atoms would be part the achievements of the 1930s physics community.
b
It reevaluated calculations ββββββββββ ββββ βββββ βββββ ββ ββββββ
Not supported, because we have no evidence that the physicists βreevaluatedβ calculations. We know that some theoretical physicsts had produced calculations that showed βin principle it should be possible to break atoms apart.β But weβre never told any other physicists changed their evaluation of these calculations. Perhaps other physicists didnβt realize the significance of these calculations, but that doesnβt imply anyone reevaluated these calculations.
c
It never identified βββ βββββββββββ ββ βββββββ βββββββββββ ββ ββββββββ
Anti-supported. The author indicates that physicists did identify the by-products of neutron bombardment of uranium: barium and technetium. Although Fermi and others didnβt identify those by-products, other physicists of the 1930s did.
d
It showed that βββββββ βββββ ββββ βββ βββββββ ββ ββββββ
Not supported, because the author never compares the ease with which uranium atoms can be split to the ease of splitting other kinds of atoms.
e
It recognized the βββββββ ββ βββββββ ββββ βββββββββββ βββββββββββ
Stated. The author states that one reason Fermi and other physicists didnβt discover the by-products of neutron bombardment of uranium is the dangers of working with radioactive material. This indicates that the physicists were aware of the dangers.
Difficulty
53% of people who answer get this correct
This is a very difficult question.
It is slightly harder than the average question in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%156
164
75%171
Analysis
Stated
Phenomenon-hypothesis
Science
Single position
Answer Popularity
PopularityAvg. score
a
13%
162
b
11%
160
c
18%
160
d
4%
156
e
53%
167
Question history
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