1. The author's primary aim in the passage is to(A) criticize a traditional view of scientific progress and advocate a replacement
(B) illustrate the often erratic way in which a scientific community achieves progress
(C) judge the relative importance of theory and experimentation in science
(D) take issue with the idea that scientists make slow, steady progress
(E) display the way in which intellectual arrogance sometimes hinders scientific progress
2. The most likely reason that the theoretical physicists in line 16 would have been pleased about Meitner's insight regarding the neutron bombardment experiments is that her insight(A) was dependent upon the calculations that they had produced
(B) paved the way for work in theoretical physics to become more acceptable abroad
(C) proved that the nuclei of atoms were generally unstable
(D) confirmed their earlier work indicating that atoms could be split
(E) came after years of analyzing the data from experiments conducted between 1934 and 1938
3. Which one of the following is most nearly equivalent to what the author means by "the relevant evidence" (line 62)?(A) the results of experiments in neutron bombardment of uranium conducted by the physics community between 1934 and 1939
(B) the results of related experiments in neutron bombardment of uranium conducted by Meitner in 1938
(C) the clear chemical evidence that Hahn had found of barium's being produced by neutron bombardment of uranium
(D) the fact that the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nuclei of barium and technetium was the same as the number of these particles in a uranium nucleus
(E) the fact that radioactive products of neutron bombardment of uranium went unidentified for so long
4. Given the information in the passage, which one of the following, if true, would have been most likely to reduce the amount of time it took for physicists to realize that atoms were being split?(A) The physicists conducting the experiments in neutron bombardment of uranium were all using the same research techniques.
(B) The physicists conducting the experiments in neutron bombardment of uranium did not have particular expectations regarding the likely nuclear composition of the by-products.
(C) The physicists conducting the experiments in neutron bombardment of uranium had not been aware of the calculations indicating that in principle it was possible to split atoms.
(D) More physicists concentrated on obtaining experimental results from the neutron bombardment of uranium.
(E) Physicists conducted experiments in the neutron bombardment of some substance other than uranium.
5. According to the passage, which one of the following was true of the physics community during the 1930s?(A) It neglected earlier theoretical developments.
(B) It reevaluated calculations indicating that atoms could be split.
(C) It never identified the by-products of neutron bombardment of uranium.
(D) It showed that uranium atoms were the easiest to split.
(E) It recognized the dangers of working with radioactive substances.