PrepTest 140, Section 4, Question 27
Physicists are often asked why the image of(441 more words not shown)
The author mentions the fact(21 more words not shown)
- Acontrast our capacity(9 more words not shown)
- Bemphasize that it(13 more words not shown)
- Cclarify the idea(5 more words not shown)
- Dillustrate the fact(12 more words not shown)
- Eemphasize the degree(16 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Look at the sentence immediately before the example: mirrors make a two-dimensional surface appear to have depth. Where we focus our eyes illustrates that point. We look into the apparent space instead of focusing on the flat glass, much as though we were looking into a room.
What we’re looking for
The detail makes that illusion of depth concrete. We need its local function, not just another true idea discussed elsewhere in the paragraph.
Working the answers
- A
This is not a comparison of two human capacities. The author uses our focusing behavior to show how a mirror presents apparent depth.
- B
The example does not establish that perceiving a reflection without mental constructs is impossible. It describes what we ordinarily do and what that reveals about the appearance of the mirror.
- CCorrect
Adjusting our focus into the imagined space shows that the flat surface is experienced as having depth. That illustrates the simulation of three-dimensional reality described just before it.
- D
The author does discuss our general habit of using mental constructs. But this particular example clarifies the special case of mirrors appearing to have depth, rather than merely illustrating that general habit. It follows the sentence explaining what makes mirrors exceptional.
- E
Nothing says the observer's psychological activity changes the shape of the real object. The point is the appearance of space in the reflection, not a physical or perceived reshaping of the chair.
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