Physicists are often asked why the image of an object, such as a chair, appears reversed left-to-right rather than, say, top-to-bottom when viewed in a mirror. ███
Phenomenon / Question ·Mirrors only flip images left-to-right. Why not also top-to-bottom?
Main Point / Critique ·Of front-to-back hypothesis
The real explanation of what mirrors do must consider both the mirror and the observer. So, like the field-of-sight explanation?
Passage Style
Critique or debate
Phenomenon-hypothesis
20.
The main point of the ███████ ██ ████ ██ ████████ ███████████ ██ ██████ ██████
Question Type
Main point
In a Phenomenon-Hypothesis passage, if the author expresses an opinion about a hypothesis, the main point should capture that opinion. Here, after explaining the front-to-back explanation for how mirrors work, the author criticizes it for its failure to address both what mirrors do and what happens when we look into mirrors.
a
must include two ██████████ ████████
This is the best answer. The author states that a proper explanation for how mirrors work must consider both what mirrors do and what happens when we look into mirrors. Those are the “two particular elements” to which (A) refers.
b
has yet to ██ ██████████
Not supported, because the author doesn’t suggest that we haven’t determined an adequate explanation of mirror images. The author describes in P1 the standard explanation that physicists give: the field of sight explanation. This might be an explanation the author considers adequate. Since (B) is not supported, it’s not the main point.
c
must be determined ██ ██████████
We have no basis to think the author believes an adequate explanation must be determined by physicists. Since (C) isn’t supported, it can’t be the main point.
d
is still subject ██ ██████
Although the author does note that some physicists offer a different explanation from others, and so arguably there is still a debate, the main point of the passage should capture at least some aspect of the author’s opinion. Here, the author finds one explanation lacking because it doesn’t do what an adequate explanation should do. (D) doesn’t capture the author’s criticism of one explanation.
e
is extremely complicated
Not supported, because the author never suggests that an adequate explanation is extremely complicated. She never characterizes any explanation as complicated and doesn’t say anything indicating that she thinks an adequate explanation should be complicated. Since (E) isn’t supported, it can’t be the main point.
Difficulty
64% of people who answer get this correct
This is a difficult question.
It is similar in difficulty to other questions in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%138
155
75%172
Analysis
Main point
Critique or debate
Phenomenon-hypothesis
Science
Answer Popularity
PopularityAvg. score
a
64%
166
b
3%
161
c
1%
154
d
25%
162
e
6%
161
Question history
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