PrepTest 133, Section 4, Question 17
Until the 1950s, most scientists believed that the(440 more words not shown)
The author characterizes the correlation(17 more words not shown)
- Aindicates that ocean(8 more words not shown)
- Bexplains the existence(5 more words not shown)
- Cdemonstrates that the(9 more words not shown)
- Dprovides strong confirmation(6 more words not shown)
- Ereveals that the(9 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Return to the comparison: the ages of Earth's magnetic reversals line up closely with the ocean floor's stripes if we assume outward spreading. My first thought is that remarkable emphasizes how strong that match is. Now we need to explain what the author wants that strong match to show.
Working the answers
- A
Several centimeters per year is part of the comparison, but remarkable describes the correlation, not how surprisingly slow the movement is.
- B
The ridge's formation is explained by new magma rising as the floor pulls apart. The magnetic correlation is presented as evidence supporting that account. B substitutes the thing being explained for the particular role of the correlation.
- C
A close match between a timeline and a pattern doesn't tell us that the magnetic field is stronger than scientists thought. Field strength isn't the comparison being made.
- DCorrect
This takes our rough strong-match prediction one step further: the match confirms the spreading theory. If the assumed spreading rate makes the stripes fit the independently established reversal timeline, that gives scientists a reason to accept the proposed process. The paragraph explicitly introduces these observations as support for the theory.
- E
The reversals need not be evenly spaced to match the stripe pattern. They could occur after very different intervals, with those differences reflected in the stripes. A strong correlation isn't the same as regular timing.
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