PrepTest 111, Section 2, Question 18
Philosophers of science have long been uneasy with(447 more words not shown)
It can be inferred from(12 more words not shown)
- Aanalogous to the(3 more words not shown)
- Bdifficult to apply(4 more words not shown)
- Capplicable to possible(5 more words not shown)
- Dinteresting because of(2 more words not shown)
- Eillustrative of the(4 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The philosophers prefer certainty: physics seems to offer dependable, universal rules rather than uncertain historical outcomes. My first thought is to look near the opening for a statement along those lines. Let's see which choice has actual support.
Working the answers
- A
The opening contrasts science with history; it doesn't say their laws work alike. That would blur the distinction used to explain the philosophers' preference.
- B
Uncertainty is what makes them uneasy about biology. It isn't a stated difficulty with applying the laws of physics.
- CCorrect
The more precise support comes later than I initially expected. The planetary law applies to hypothetical planets as well as existing ones (paragraph 3). In other words, it covers actual and possible situations. This makes our general prediction about certainty more specific: the law isn't limited to the planets we happen to observe.
- D
Particularity means being tied to particular cases. The philosophers prize the opposite: laws that apply beyond an individual historical instance.
- E
Historical contingency means an outcome depends on how events happened to unfold. The planetary example illustrates a necessary result under a universal law, not that kind of contingency.
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