PT149.S2.P2.Q6 > Analytics

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In a typical Hollywood action movie, the hero skirts death to complete a mission. ███ ████ ██████ ████ ████████ ███████ ████ ████ ███ ████ ███ ███ ████ █████ ██ ███ ███ ██ █████ ██████ ████████ ████ █ ██████ ████████████ ███ ████ █████ ██ █████ ███ ███ ████ █████████

Analogy · Our universe resembles an action movie

In an action movie, one little change in events could kill the hero; in our universe, one little change in laws of physics could make life impossible

Support analogy · E.g. of strong nuclear force

Small change in strong nuclear force would have major impacts

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Phenomenon · Ability of our universe to support life is improbable yet true

We could ask: if such a universe is so unlikely, how did it come to be?

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Cosmologists' Hypothesis · Multiverse theory

Many universes, so better chances of at least one (ours) supporting life

Basis of cosmologists' hypothesis · Hard to identify alternative laws of physics that still support life

If it's hard to identify any other laws of physics that would support life, then a universe that does support life seems unlikely

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Criticism · Basis of cosmologists' hypothesis is flawed

Conventional approach is to change only one known feature ("constant") of physics at a time, but this approach is flawed

Author's hypothesis · Ability of our universe to support life is not actually improbable

Author's methodology suggests many different sets of physical laws could support life, so the ability to support life is not as unlikely as others think

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Limit criticism · Multiverse theory not necessarily wrong

Even if a universe that supports life is more probable than cosmologists believed, there are still reasons to accept the multiverse theory

Passage Style

Critique or debate

Phenomenon-hypothesis (RC)

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

Question Type

Main point

The author focuses on criticizing the view that the laws of physics are finely tuned. This view is what gives rise to the theory of the multiverse. The author doesn’t disagree with the multiverse theory, but argues that the laws of physics are not as finely tuned as other cosmologists believe.

Although the universe █████ ██████ █████ ███ ███ █████████ ██ █████ █████ ███ ██ ████ ████ ██ ████████ ████ ████ █████ ██ ██████████ ████ ████ ████ ████████ ████████

This best captures the main point, which is that the universe is not as finely tuned as some cosmologists think. The author focuses on criticizing the “fine-tuning” belief of these cosmologists (but does not disagree with the multiverse theory).

68%

Although the multiverse ██████████ ███ █████████ ██ ███████ ███ ████████ ████ ██████ ██ ███ ████████ ████ ██ ███ █████████ ██ ███ ██ ██████ ███ ██████████ █████ █████ ██ ██████ ██ ██████████

Although the author states (B) at the end of the passage, this isn’t the main point, because it doesn’t capture the author’s criticism of the “fine tuning” view. The author believes the universe is not as fine tuned as cosmologists think it is.

18%

When scientists have █████ ████████ ████████████ █████████ ██ ████████ ████████ █████ ████ ████ ████ ██████ ██ ████ █████████ ████ ██ ████ ████ ███ ██████████ ████ █████

Anti-supported. Because (C) is contradicted, it can’t be the main point.

The improbability of ████ █████████ ██ ███ ████████ ████████ ███ ████ ████ ███ ████████ ██ ████ ███ ██ ████ █████████ ██ █ ███████ ███████████

Anti-supported. Note that the part that is contradicted is the idea of the “improbability of life.” The author’s point is that life is not as improbable as scientists think. Because part of (D) is contradicted, it can’t be the main point.

The story of ███ ████████ █████████ ██ ██████ █████ ██ █████ ███████ ███ ██ ███ █████████████ ████ █████ ████ ███ ██████████ ████████████ ███ ███ █████████ ██ █████ ████ ███████

This doesn’t capture the author’s criticism of the “fine tuning” view. The author believes the universe is not as fine tuned as cosmologists think it is.

PrepTest 149 - Section 2 - Passage 2 - Question 6

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