PrepTest 143, Section 2, Question 21
To glass researchers it seems somewhat strange that(470 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AZanotto's research has(27 more words not shown)
- BThe technology of(19 more words not shown)
- CAfter years of(31 more words not shown)
- DRecent research provides(38 more words not shown)
- EContrary to a(35 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We've already predicted the main point: the downward-flow explanation does not account for the visibly thicker bottoms of old windows. The required time is far too long, and the old manufacturing process offers a more likely cause.
What we’re looking for
Keep the qualification. The author allows slight flow in solid glass, but rejects it as the explanation for these noticeable differences.
Working the answers
- A
The calculation is important evidence against the popular explanation. This answer stops at the research result instead of giving the broader conclusion about the old windows and their probable manufacturing origin.
- B
The progression toward flatter glass is described, but it serves the explanation of why old panes were uneven. A history of improving technology alone leaves out the central correction of the myth.
- C
The author does not present years of misconception-driven investigation leading to a general breakthrough in calculating flow. Zanotto's calculation is used to test a particular explanation, not to make that broader claim about scientific methods.
- D
This still gives flow a role in producing the noticeable differences. The calculation rules out that proposed contribution over the few hundred years in question; it is not just one confirmed cause among several.
- ECorrect
Both parts match: noticeable differences are not due to flowing solid glass, and old glassworking techniques are the probable alternative. This captures the conclusion without exaggerating it into a claim that solid glass cannot flow at all.
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