PrepTest 113, Section 2, Question 7
Newtonian physics dominated science for over two centuries.(56 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(6 more words not shown)
- AThe history of(14 more words not shown)
- BLong-standing success or(18 more words not shown)
- CEvery theory of(14 more words not shown)
- DOnce a theory(10 more words not shown)
- EIf a long-accepted(16 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Being surpassed doesn't mean everything Newton's theory did was useless. The passage gives it a long record of successful application, then says Einstein revealed fundamental limits and offered a view that surpassed it. Those two facts can fit together: a theory can work impressively within limits and still be overtaken.
What we’re looking for
It is tempting to predict another step: perhaps someone will eventually surpass Einstein too. But the passage hasn't established that. For this inference question, I don't have a reason to promise the next scientific change or say every theory follows the same path. We should stay with what this one case shows about a theory that had already enjoyed centuries of success.
Working the answers
- A
One successful theory being surpassed by another doesn't establish a pattern characterizing the whole history of physics. The passage gives us the Newton-to-Einstein transition. It doesn't give us a series of such transitions from which to draw A's broader description.
- BCorrect
Newtonian physics had long-standing success and substantial acceptance, yet it was surpassed. That example shows those qualities don't guarantee permanent dominance. A guarantee would rule out the very outcome the passage describes.
B doesn't predict that every successful theory will be replaced. It only denies that past success ensures a theory will remain dominant forever. We have a concrete case establishing that narrower point.
- C
This turns one example into a prediction about every theory. Perhaps another theory could remain dominant indefinitely; the passage doesn't settle that. Knowing replacement happened once doesn't show that it must eventually happen to all theories.
- D
Newtonian physics lasted for centuries, but we aren't told that every accepted theory must last that long. Acceptance could be brief in another case. D makes the duration of this example into a universal rule.
- E
The passage says Einstein's theories have enjoyed wide success. That doesn't establish a requirement that every replacement be equally successful. Nor does it give us a precise comparison showing equal amounts of success even in this case. E adds both a general rule and a comparison beyond the evidence.
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