Question 1
1. Which of the following would make the most appropriate title for this passage?
The answer is D. This is a question we can solve with the
Logical method, by simply thinking: "what is this passage about"?
The passage describes in great detail the multiple challenges which make space travel probably impossible. This is clear from the opening sentences ("
the intrepid humans who first attempt interstellar space travel will face far more daunting challenges before they ever meet the Little Green Men"), the closing sentence (which says people who really want to space travel will find this book so disappointing, they should skip it) and the entire structure - which is reason after reason that space travel is hard to impossible.
Looking at the answers, D) - The Crushing Challenges of Interstellar Space Travel - is the one we are looking for. Question 2
2. Based on the tone and content of the passage, it is most likely which of the following?
The answer is C. We'll use the
Logical approach, by asking ourselves "what kind of passage is this?"
This question asks: "what type of article of this?" A few things are clear: it is a review of a book, but it doesn't focus on the book itself but rather on the scientific argument at the heart of the book - space travel is really, really, hard. At the same time, the science is explained in everyday terms. Knowing this, let's take a look at the answers:
A. A book review in a journal intended for astrophysics professionals
- no way, this would be much more academicB. A movie review in an entertainment industry publication -
its not a movieC. A book review in a science magazine aimed at a general audience -
perfect - the focus is on the sceince, but in everyday languageD. A book review in a newspaper -
maybe possible, but definitely not as good a fit as (C). we'd expect a newspaper to focus more on the book itself, less on the scientific argument/color]
E. A transcript of a talk given at a science fiction convention dedicated to “The poetry of space” - [color=#ff0000]not a talk Question 3
3. The passage implies that all except which of the following could be threats to human health during extended interstellar voyages?
The answer is A. Since the question asks us "which of following", we'll use the
Alternative approach, and use the answers:
A. Meteor impact -
nowhere are meteors mentioned or hinted at B. Radiation poisoning -
"you still have to figure out the chemistry and biology of keeping ... your crew fed and safe from radiation..."
C. Accelerating too fast
- "And if you tried to accelerate directly to the speed of light like they do in the movies, you’d be instantly splattered on the back of your theoretical spacecraft. "D. Starvation - "
food is going to be a problem."E. Old age -
The first paragraph discusses this Question 4
4. According to the passage, which of the following will present the most difficult challenge for humans attempting interstellar space travel?
The answer is E. This question can and should be solved using the
Precise approach, by simply finding a place in the text which answers this exactly.
This question may be a bit tricky, since almost all of the answer choices are indeed difficulties mentioned, but what is important is that we are asked which is the
most difficult. We'll look in the text for something mentioned as the hardest: "
Keeping a crew alive on the way turns out to be the trickiest part of all." - answer E!