Over time, non-specialists are usually able to assimilate radically new scientific ideas, even though these ideas may seem strange when they are initially introduced. Such was the case with Newtonian physics; when Newton proposed his ideas regarding motion and gravitation in the seventeenth century, they were denounced as unreasonable even by other leading physicists. Eventually, however, Newton’s ideas were generally assimilated. Such will also prove to be the case with quantum mechanics, a twentieth-century science that deals with the behavior of matter and light on the subatomic scale. Eventually, the novelty of quantum mechanics will no longer act as a bar to the comprehension of this theory by the non-specialist.

Question

Over time, non-specialists are usually able to assimilate radically new scientific ideas, even though these ideas may seem strange when they are initially introduced. Such was the case with Newtonian physics; when Newton proposed his ideas regarding motion and gravitation in the seventeenth century, they were denounced as unreasonable even by other leading physicists. Eventually, however, Newton’s ideas were generally assimilated. Such will also prove to be the case with quantum mechanics, a twentieth-century science that deals with the behavior of matter and light on the subatomic scale. Eventually, the novelty of quantum mechanics will no longer act as a bar to the comprehension of this theory by the non-specialist.

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8) The author of the passage assumes which of the following about quantum mechanics in relation to previous scientific theories?
A) Quantum mechanics is not inherently more difficult for the non-specialist than previous scientific theories.
B) Quantum mechanics has generated less controversy among specialists than previous scientific theories.
C) Quantum mechanics is more important to the history of science than previous scientific theories.
D) Quantum mechanics has more important practical applications than previous scientific theories.

Responses

English - SraJMcGin, Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 1:04pm
What is YOUR thinking on this?

Sra

English - john browm, Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 1:20pm

I am debating on B & D BUT I CHOSE D! WAS I RIGHT?

Answer 1

Why did you choose either B or D? What evidence do you find in the short paragraph that shows that either of them is correct?

Answer 2

To determine the correct answer, let's examine the passage. The author states that non-specialists are usually able to assimilate radically new scientific ideas over time, even though these ideas may seem strange initially. The author uses the example of Newtonian physics to support this claim. Newton's ideas were initially denounced as unreasonable by other leading physicists, but eventually, they were generally assimilated.

Based on this information, we can eliminate options A and C. Option A suggests that quantum mechanics is not inherently more difficult for the non-specialist than previous scientific theories, but the passage does not provide any explicit comparison between quantum mechanics and previous scientific theories in terms of difficulty. Option C suggests that quantum mechanics is more important to the history of science than previous scientific theories, but the passage does not make this claim.

Now let's evaluate options B and D. Option B suggests that quantum mechanics has generated less controversy among specialists than previous scientific theories, but the passage does not provide any information about the level of controversy generated by quantum mechanics. Option D suggests that quantum mechanics has more important practical applications than previous scientific theories, but the passage does not discuss practical applications of quantum mechanics either.

Therefore, based on the information provided in the passage, none of the given options can be directly inferred. The correct answer would be none of the above.