In a typical Hollywood action movie, the hero skirts death to complete

Question

In a typical Hollywood action movie, the hero
skirts death to complete a mission. Bad guys shoot,
cars explode, objects fall from the sky, but all just
miss. If any one of those things happened just a little diffe-
  (5)   rently, the hero would be dead. Yet the hero survives.

In some respects, the story of our universe
resembles an action movie. A slight change to any one
of the laws of physics would likely have caused some
disaster that would have disrupted the normal
  (10)   evolution of the universe and made life impossible.
For example, if the strong nuclear force had been
slightly stronger or weaker, stars would have forged
very little of the carbon that seems necessary to form
planets and living things. Indeed, it seems that in order
  (15)   for a universe to support life, the laws of physics must
be so finely tuned that the very existence of such a
universe becomes improbable.

Some cosmologists have tried to reconcile the
existence of our universe with the seeming
  (20)   improbability of its existence by hypothesizing that
our universe is but one of many universes within a
wider array called the multiverse. In almost all of
those universes, the laws of physics might not allow
the formation of matter as we know it and therefore
  (25)   of life. But given the sheer number of possibilities,
nature would have had a good chance to get the
"right" set of laws at least once.

But just how exceptional is the set of physical
laws governing our universe? The view that the laws
  (30)   of physics are finely tuned arises largely from the
difficulty scientists have had in identifying alternative
sets of laws that would be compatible with life.

The conventional way scientists explore whether
a particular constant of physics is finely tuned is to
  (35)   tweak it while leaving all other constants unaltered.
The scientists then "play the movie" of that universe
they do calculations, what-if scenarios, or computer
simulations—to see what disasters occur. But there is
no reason to tweak just one parameter at a time. By
  (40)   manipulating multiple constants at once, my colleague
and I have identified numerous scenarios—hypothetical
universes—where the physical laws would be very
different from our own and yet compatible with the
formation of complex structures and perhaps even
  (45)   some forms of intelligent life.

Fine tuning has been invoked by some cosmologists
as indirect evidence for the multiverse. Do our findings
therefore call the concept of the multiverse into
question? I do not think this is necessarily the case for
  (50)   two reasons. First, certain models of the birth of the
universe would lead us to expect the existence of
something like the multiverse. Secondly, the multiverse
concept may well prove to be the source of solutions
to certain other long-standing puzzles in cosmology.    1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main point of the passage?

(A) Although the universe seems finely tuned for the existence of life, there may be more sets of physical laws that would be compatible with life than commonly thought.
(B) Although the multiverse hypothesis was developed to explain the apparent fine tuning of the physical laws of our universe, it may be useful for explaining other kinds of issues in cosmology.
(C) When scientists have tried modeling
hypothetical universes by altering physical laws, they have been unable to find alternate sets of laws that are consistent with life.
(D) The improbability of life occurring in the universe supports the idea that our universe is just one of many universes in a broader multiverse.
(E) The story of our universe resembles an action movie in that, despite all of the circumstances that could have had disastrous consequences for the emergence of life, life exists.

2 
 2. It can be inferred from the passage that when the author says that scientists "play the movie" (second sentence of the fifth paragraph), the author means that they

(A) acknowledge the fictional nature of what is being described
(B) follow a theoretical chain of events to its conclusion
(C) highlight how dramatic the situation is that follows
(D) model their work on certain common archetypes
(E) play an active role in shaping the story

3 
 3. The passage suggests that the cosmologists mentioned in the third paragraph would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Our universe is affected by what occurs in other universes.
(B) The existence of multiple universes makes each universe more likely to contain life.
(C) The laws of physics must be the same in every part of the multiverse.
(D) There are enough universes to make it probable that life exists in at least one of them.
(E) There is only one universe in the multiverse that contains life.

4 
 4. The author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about the conventional way in which scientists investigate the apparent fine tuning of physical laws?

(A) It focuses on looking for outcomes that are irrelevant to the issue at hand.
(B) It is too unfocused to produce useful results.
(C) It has been conducted without concern for mathematical rigor.
(D) Its methodology results in an overly restricted set of outcomes.
(E) It will eventually produce a workable model of an alternate universe with life.

5 
 5. The final paragraph of the passage functions primarily to

(A) demonstrate the inadequacy of the view that the author is arguing against
(B) indicate the kinds of questions to which the author's research can be extended
(C) discuss the implications of the author's research
(D) consider two potential counterarguments to the author's position
(E) suggest a course of future experimentation to test the author's conclusions

6 
 6. The author's attitude toward the multiverse hypothesis can best be described as one of

(A) dismissiveness
(B) skepticism
(C) open-mindedness
(D) advocacy
(E) enthusiasm

7 
 7. If the multiverse hypothesis as discussed in the third paragraph is correct, then the story of the hero in the first paragraph would be more analogous to the story of our universe if the hero

(A) had a team of supporters working behind the scenes to make sure that the hero succeeded
(B) was actually just one of many people sent on the mission, but almost all of the others failed
(C) had developed the survival skills needed to complete the mission during a series of previous missions
(D) was actually just one of many people sent on the mission, and each person found a unique way to succeed
(E) was equipped with a map that made it possible to know where each danger lurked and how to avoid it

Raman109 · Answer

1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main point of the passage?

(A) Although the universe seems finely tuned for the existence of life, there may be more sets of physical laws that would be compatible with life than commonly thought. - ok. While both the cosmologists and the author agree on the idea of a multiverse, their approaches to arriving at the same conclusion are different. While the cosmologists argue that mother nature may have gotten the perfect combination of fine-tuned physical laws more than once, the author focuses that even while changing multiple parameters creates the situations that would have supported the complex life.

(B) Although the multiverse hypothesis was developed to explain the apparent fine tuning of the physical laws of our universe, it may be useful for explaining other kinds of issues in cosmology. - Limited in scope to the line in the last passage.

(C) When scientists have tried modeling hypothetical universes by altering physical laws, they have been unable to find alternate sets of laws that are consistent with life. - Yes, but cosmologists still say that statistically, Mother Nature must have gotten it right more than once. Wrong.

(D) The improbability of life occurring in the universe supports the idea that our universe is just one of many universes in a broader multiverse. - opposite to what the cosmologist and author say.

(E) The story of our universe resembles an action movie in that, despite all of the circumstances that could have had disastrous consequences for the emergence of life, life exists. - Limited in scope.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. The author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about the conventional way in which scientists investigate the apparent fine tuning of physical laws?

Explanation

The passage discusses how scientists explore the apparent fine-tuning of physical laws and the conventional way they investigate this issue.

(A)  suggests that the conventional method of investigation is misguided and produces irrelevant outcomes. However, the passage does not imply that the outcomes sought by scientists are irrelevant. Instead, it discusses how scientists explore different scenarios to understand the implications of varying physical constants.

(B)  suggests that the conventional method lacks focus and does not yield useful results. While the passage acknowledges that scientists explore different scenarios, it does not imply that this approach lacks focus or utility. In fact, it mentions that scientists have identified numerous scenarios that are compatible with complex structures and possibly intelligent life.

(C)  does not suggest that the conventional method lacks mathematical rigor. Instead, it describes how scientists perform calculations, what-if scenarios, and computer simulations to explore the implications of varying physical constants. This indicates a rigorous approach to investigating the issue.

(D)   aligns with the author's perspective. The passage discusses how scientists traditionally explore the fine-tuning of physical laws by tweaking one parameter at a time while leaving others unaltered. However, the author suggests that this approach may result in an overly restricted set of outcomes. By manipulating multiple constants simultaneously, the author and their colleague have identified numerous scenarios that differ significantly from our universe while still allowing for the formation of complex structures and possibly intelligent life. This implies that the conventional methodology may limit the exploration of alternative scenarios.

(E)  While the passage discusses how scientists explore different scenarios, it does not explicitly suggest that the conventional method will eventually produce a workable model of an alternate universe with life. Instead, it presents the idea that tweaking multiple constants simultaneously may lead to a broader exploration of possible universes compatible with life.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. The final paragraph of the passage functions primarily to

Explanation

The real issue here is C vs D. The  final paragraph  of the passage discusses the implications of the author's research and addresses potential counterarguments to their position.

(A)  does not describe the function of the final paragraph. The passage does not focused on demonstrating the inadequacy of a specific view. Instead, it addresses potential counterarguments to the author's position without directly dismissing any particular viewpoint.

(B)  does not aligned with the content of the final paragraph. The paragraph does not discuss extending the author's research to address new questions. Instead, it focuses on addressing potential objections to the author's findings and discussing the implications of the research already conducted.

(C)   accurately describes the function of the final paragraph. The paragraph discusses the implications of the author's research by considering potential counterarguments and discussing the broader implications of the findings, particularly in relation to the concept of the multiverse.

(D)  suggests that the final paragraph presents two specific counterarguments to the author's position. However, the paragraph does not enumerate or explicitly present two distinct counterarguments. It discusses broader implications and potential objections related to certain models of the birth of the universe and the concept of the multiverse.

(E)  does not accurately describe the function of the  final paragraph . The paragraph does not suggest a course of future experimentation but rather discusses the implications and potential counterarguments of the author's research.

Answer: C

VerbalBot · Answer

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In a typical Hollywood action movie, the hero skirts death to complete

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In a typical Hollywood action movie, the hero skirts death to complete

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