PrepTest 139, Section 3, Question 24
Calvaria major is a rare but once-abundant tree(473 more words not shown)
In saying that Temple's supporting(22 more words not shown)
- Adespite his attempts(24 more words not shown)
- Bdirect proof of(21 more words not shown)
- Cin contrast to(28 more words not shown)
- Din his experimentation(20 more words not shown)
- Ealthough the consensus(20 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
A “semblance” is an appearance of something. Temple's numerical estimates and turkey experiment made his hypothesis look more scientifically supported, but the author is withholding an unqualified endorsement of that support. The later counterevidence helps explain the reservation.
What we’re looking for
We should not turn that reservation into a different claim, such as proof that Temple conducted the experiments carelessly. The phrase concerns the apparent force of his evidence, not a demonstrated flaw in how he collected every result.
Working the answers
- A
This accuses Temple of failing to derive his findings carefully. The author does not identify that procedural defect. Evidence can fail to establish a hypothesis even when the observations themselves were carefully obtained.
- B
The author does say direct proof was unattainable, but that does not explain the meaning of the phrase. “Semblance of rigor” evaluates the apparent support supplied by these findings; it is not a general claim about what exact measurements could never establish.
- C
The tree ages were indeed estimated by foresters, so that information was secondhand for Temple. But the author does not use the phrase to praise his firsthand experiments as careful and accurate by contrast. It conveys skepticism about their apparent support.
- DCorrect
The measurements and experimental counts superficially bolster the hypothesis's scientific credibility. This preserves both halves of the phrase: the appearance of rigor and the author's reservation about it.
- E
The phrase is not praise for scientific creativity and precision. It also does not establish a consensus among all experts. The author reports strong challenges from leading specialists while noting that many scientists found the theory plausible.
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