Essayist: Common sense, which is always progressing, is nothing but a collection of theories that have been tested over time and found useful.When alternative theories that prove even more useful are developed, they gradually take the place of theories already embodied in common sense. This causes common sense to progress, but, because it absorbs new theories slowly, it always contains some obsolete theories.
If all of the essayist’s statements are true, then which one of the following must be true?
This is simple argument but equally difficult option to choose from. How come some obsolete theories find ways to be there in the body of common sense, if more useful theories keep replacing older ones.
(A) At least some new theories that have not yet been found to be more useful than any theory currently part of common sense
will never be absorbed into the body of common sense.
(B) Of the useful theories within the body of common sense,
the older ones are generally less useful than the newer ones.
(C) The
frequency with which new theories are generated prevents their rapid absorption into the body of common sense.
(D)
Each theory within the body of common sense
is eventually replaced with a new theory that is more useful.
(E) At least some theories that have been tested over time and found useful are less useful than some other theories that have not been fully absorbed into the body of common sense.
A and E are somewhat similar in the sense that each of them deal with future probabilities. A loses for its absoluteness in the claim it makes - there is always a possibility that a new theory may become more useful in future. Since common sense is progressive, the already tested theories would become less useful because of new theories. Thus E is correct.
Answer E.