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09 Sep 2024, 14:38
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Question 1
C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
65%
(hard)
Question Stats:
45% (02:17) correct
55%
(02:35) wrong
based on 261
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 2
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
76% (00:43) correct 24%
(00:45) wrong
based on 242
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 3
B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
61% (01:20) correct 39%
(01:26) wrong
based on 242
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Q1. Which of the following can be most reasonably inferred from the passage about the relationship between government involvement and innovation in solar PV technology?
A) Without government support, the development of solar PV technology would have been significantly delayed.
B) The majority of solar PV innovations were driven by private sector funding.
C) The government’s demand for solar PV technology directly led to a decrease in its production costs.
D) Government incentives only supported the research, but private firms handled the production of solar PV cells.
E) The space exploration program provided a unique market for early solar PV technology, making its commercial adoption viable.
Q2. What is the primary purpose of the passage?
A) To explain the historical development of solar PV technology and highlight the pivotal role of government subsidies in that development.
B) To compare the efficiency of early solar PV cells with modern solar PV technology and discuss potential future innovations.
C) To analyze the benefits of government subsidies across multiple sectors, focusing on renewable energy as an example.
D) To argue that private companies were the primary drivers of innovation in solar PV technology, with limited government involvement.
E) To outline the economic impact of solar PV technology on the U.S. space program and the subsequent commercial market.
A subsidy, or government incentive, is a form of government expenditure aimed at stabilizing the economy. These subsidies can take various forms, including direct expenditures, tax incentives, soft loans, price support, and the provision of goods and services.
The development of commercial solar power relied heavily on government support. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology originated in the United States when Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson at Bell Labs demonstrated the silicon solar cell in 1954. The initial cells had an efficiency of only 4%, significantly lower than the 25% efficiency some modern cells achieve. Due to high costs, early developers sought alternative markets.
The technology found a practical application in the aerospace sector, where the U.S. Army and Air Force identified solar PV as an ideal power source for earth-orbiting satellites. Hoffman Electronics was contracted to supply solar cells for the space exploration program, and the first commercial satellite, Vanguard I, launched in 1958 with both solar cells and chemical batteries. By 1965, NASA was using nearly a million solar PV cells. Early government demand and research support led to substantial cost reductions and performance improvements, with the price of PV cells dropping from $300 to $20 per watt between 1956 and 1973.
As a result of government involvement in solar PV development, 13 of the 14 top innovations in PV were developed with the help of federal dollars, nine of which were fully funded by the public sector.
The development of commercial solar power relied heavily on government support. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology originated in the United States when Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson at Bell Labs demonstrated the silicon solar cell in 1954. The initial cells had an efficiency of only 4%, significantly lower than the 25% efficiency some modern cells achieve. Due to high costs, early developers sought alternative markets.
The technology found a practical application in the aerospace sector, where the U.S. Army and Air Force identified solar PV as an ideal power source for earth-orbiting satellites. Hoffman Electronics was contracted to supply solar cells for the space exploration program, and the first commercial satellite, Vanguard I, launched in 1958 with both solar cells and chemical batteries. By 1965, NASA was using nearly a million solar PV cells. Early government demand and research support led to substantial cost reductions and performance improvements, with the price of PV cells dropping from $300 to $20 per watt between 1956 and 1973.
As a result of government involvement in solar PV development, 13 of the 14 top innovations in PV were developed with the help of federal dollars, nine of which were fully funded by the public sector.
Q1. Which of the following can be most reasonably inferred from the passage about the relationship between government involvement and innovation in solar PV technology?
A) Without government support, the development of solar PV technology would have been significantly delayed.
B) The majority of solar PV innovations were driven by private sector funding.
C) The government’s demand for solar PV technology directly led to a decrease in its production costs.
D) Government incentives only supported the research, but private firms handled the production of solar PV cells.
E) The space exploration program provided a unique market for early solar PV technology, making its commercial adoption viable.
Q2. What is the primary purpose of the passage?
A) To explain the historical development of solar PV technology and highlight the pivotal role of government subsidies in that development.
B) To compare the efficiency of early solar PV cells with modern solar PV technology and discuss potential future innovations.
C) To analyze the benefits of government subsidies across multiple sectors, focusing on renewable energy as an example.
D) To argue that private companies were the primary drivers of innovation in solar PV technology, with limited government involvement.
E) To outline the economic impact of solar PV technology on the U.S. space program and the subsequent commercial market.
Q3. Based on the passage, which of the following can be reasonably inferred about the impact of the aerospace sector on the development of solar PV technology?
A) Solar PV technology became commercially viable due to the aerospace sector’s unique energy requirements for satellites.
B) The use of solar PV cells in space exploration contributed to significant advancements in their performance and cost efficiency.
C) The aerospace sector’s demand for solar PV cells was primarily driven by the need to reduce the weight of satellites.
D) Without government contracts for satellites, solar PV technology would have struggled to find any practical application.
E) NASA’s use of nearly a million solar PV cells by 1965 primarily contributed to an increase in the price of these cells due to high demand.
A) Solar PV technology became commercially viable due to the aerospace sector’s unique energy requirements for satellites.
B) The use of solar PV cells in space exploration contributed to significant advancements in their performance and cost efficiency.
C) The aerospace sector’s demand for solar PV cells was primarily driven by the need to reduce the weight of satellites.
D) Without government contracts for satellites, solar PV technology would have struggled to find any practical application.
E) NASA’s use of nearly a million solar PV cells by 1965 primarily contributed to an increase in the price of these cells due to high demand.
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10 Sep 2024, 09:47
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Here are the official solutions:
Q1. Which of the following can be most reasonably inferred from the passage about the relationship between government involvement and innovation in solar PV technology?
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
A: This option is tempting but overstates the inference. The passage mentions cost reductions and performance improvements due to government involvement, but it doesn’t definitively state that the development of the technology would have been "significantly delayed" without it.
B: This is the opposite of what the passage suggests. The passage explicitly mentions that 9 of the 14 innovations were "fully funded by the public sector."
C: Correct. The passage explicitly notes that government demand and research support led to cost reductions in solar PV cells, supporting this inference.
D: The passage doesn't specify that government incentives were only for research and excludes production involvement. This option presents an incorrect limitation of government support.
E: While the aerospace sector was an early adopter of the technology, the passage does not suggest that space exploration made the technology commercially viable. It only describes the sector as an early application.
Q2. What is the primary purpose of the passage?
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A: Correct. The passage focuses on the development of solar PV technology and emphasizes how government subsidies and involvement were crucial to advancing the technology, particularly in the aerospace sector. This option captures the essence of the passage.
B: This is incorrect because while the passage does mention the efficiency of solar PV cells, it is not primarily focused on comparing efficiencies or discussing future innovations.
C: The passage only focuses on solar PV technology and does not cover government subsidies in other sectors, so this option is too broad.
D: This is the opposite of the passage’s argument, which emphasizes government involvement rather than private companies as the main drivers of innovation.
E: While the passage touches on the aerospace sector’s role in early solar PV applications, it does not focus on the broader economic impact on the space program or commercial markets.
Q3. Based on the passage, which of the following can be reasonably inferred about the impact of the aerospace sector on the development of solar PV technology?
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
A: While the aerospace sector did provide an early market for solar PV technology, the passage does not state that this alone made the technology commercially viable. The focus is on the sector driving performance improvements, not making the technology fully viable for general commercial use.
B: Correct. The passage directly connects early government demand from the aerospace sector (e.g., NASA) to cost reductions and performance improvements in solar PV cells, making this the best inference.
C: The passage does not mention weight as a motivating factor for using solar PV cells. This is a reasonable assumption, but it’s not supported by the information provided.
D: This is an overstatement. The passage indicates that the aerospace sector provided an important early market, but it does not imply that without this sector, solar PV would have found no other practical applications.
E: The passage explicitly states that the price of solar PV cells decreased, not increased, due to government involvement and demand, making this option factually incorrect.
Q1. Which of the following can be most reasonably inferred from the passage about the relationship between government involvement and innovation in solar PV technology?
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
A: This option is tempting but overstates the inference. The passage mentions cost reductions and performance improvements due to government involvement, but it doesn’t definitively state that the development of the technology would have been "significantly delayed" without it.
B: This is the opposite of what the passage suggests. The passage explicitly mentions that 9 of the 14 innovations were "fully funded by the public sector."
C: Correct. The passage explicitly notes that government demand and research support led to cost reductions in solar PV cells, supporting this inference.
D: The passage doesn't specify that government incentives were only for research and excludes production involvement. This option presents an incorrect limitation of government support.
E: While the aerospace sector was an early adopter of the technology, the passage does not suggest that space exploration made the technology commercially viable. It only describes the sector as an early application.
Q2. What is the primary purpose of the passage?
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A: Correct. The passage focuses on the development of solar PV technology and emphasizes how government subsidies and involvement were crucial to advancing the technology, particularly in the aerospace sector. This option captures the essence of the passage.
B: This is incorrect because while the passage does mention the efficiency of solar PV cells, it is not primarily focused on comparing efficiencies or discussing future innovations.
C: The passage only focuses on solar PV technology and does not cover government subsidies in other sectors, so this option is too broad.
D: This is the opposite of the passage’s argument, which emphasizes government involvement rather than private companies as the main drivers of innovation.
E: While the passage touches on the aerospace sector’s role in early solar PV applications, it does not focus on the broader economic impact on the space program or commercial markets.
Q3. Based on the passage, which of the following can be reasonably inferred about the impact of the aerospace sector on the development of solar PV technology?
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
A: While the aerospace sector did provide an early market for solar PV technology, the passage does not state that this alone made the technology commercially viable. The focus is on the sector driving performance improvements, not making the technology fully viable for general commercial use.
B: Correct. The passage directly connects early government demand from the aerospace sector (e.g., NASA) to cost reductions and performance improvements in solar PV cells, making this the best inference.
C: The passage does not mention weight as a motivating factor for using solar PV cells. This is a reasonable assumption, but it’s not supported by the information provided.
D: This is an overstatement. The passage indicates that the aerospace sector provided an important early market, but it does not imply that without this sector, solar PV would have found no other practical applications.
E: The passage explicitly states that the price of solar PV cells decreased, not increased, due to government involvement and demand, making this option factually incorrect.
25 Jan 2026, 02:10
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