What it means to “explain” something in science often comes down to

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 484, Date: 30-Nov-2019
 This post is a part of New Project RC Butler 2019 .  Click here for Details

What it means to “explain” something in science
often comes down to the application of mathematics.
Some thinkers hold that mathematics is a kind of
language—a systematic contrivance of signs, the
 (5)  criteria for the authority of which are internal
coherence, elegance, and depth. The application of
such a highly artificial system to the physical world,
they claim, results in the creation of a kind of statement
about the world. Accordingly, what matters in the
 (10)  sciences is finding a mathematical concept that
attempts, as other language does, to accurately describe
the functioning of some aspect of the world.

At the center of the issue of scientific knowledge
can thus be found questions about the relationship
 (15)  between language and what it refers to. A discussion
about the role played by language in the pursuit of
knowledge has been going on among linguists for
several decades. The debate centers around whether
language corresponds in some essential way to objects
 (20)  and behaviors, making knowledge a solid and reliable
commodity; or, on the other hand, whether the
relationship between language and things is purely a
matter of agreed-upon conventions, making knowledge
tenuous, relative, and inexact.

(25)  Lately the latter theory has been gaining wider
acceptance. According to linguists who support this
theory, the way language is used varies depending
upon changes in accepted practices and theories among
those who work in a particular discipline. These
 (30)  linguists argue that, in the pursuit of knowledge, a
statement is true only when there are no promising
alternatives that might lead one to question it. Certainly
this characterization would seem to be applicable to the
sciences. In science, a mathematical statement may be
 (35)  taken to account for every aspect of a phenomenon it is
applied to, but, some would argue, there is nothing
inherent in mathematical language that guarantees such
a correspondence. Under this view, acceptance of a
mathematical statement by the scientific community—
 (40)  by virtue of the statement’ s predictive power or
methodological efficiency—transforms what is
basically an analogy or metaphor into an explanation of
the physical process in question, to be held as true until
another, more compelling analogy takes its place.

(45)  In pursuing the implications of this theory, linguists
have reached the point at which they must ask: If
words or sentences do not correspond in an essential
way to life or to our ideas about life, then just what are
they capable of telling us about the world? In science
 (50)  and mathematics, then, it would seem equally
necessary to ask: If models of electrolytes or E = mc2,
say, do not correspond essentially to the physical
world, then just what functions do they perform in the
acquisition of scientific knowledge? But this question
 (55)  has yet to be significantly addressed in the sciences.    1  
 D 
 1. Which one of the following statements most accurately expresses the passage’s main point?

(A) Although scientists must rely on both language and mathematics in their pursuit of scientific knowledge, each is an imperfect tool for perceiving and interpreting aspects of the physical world.
(B) The acquisition of scientific knowledge depends on an agreement among scientists to accept some mathematical statements as more precise than others while acknowledging that all mathematics is inexact.
(C) If science is truly to progress, scientists must temporarily abandon the pursuit of new knowledge in favor of a systematic analysis of how the knowledge they already possess came to be accepted as true.
(D) In order to better understand the acquisition of scientific knowledge, scientists must investigate mathematical statements’ relationship to the world just as linguists study language’s relationship to the world.
(E) Without the debates among linguists that preceded them, it is unlikely that scientists would ever have begun to explore the essential role played by mathematics in the acquisition of scientific knowledge.

2  
 A 
 2. Which one of the following statements, if true, lends the most support to the view that language has an essential correspondence to the things it describes?

(A) The categories of physical objects employed by one language correspond remarkably to the categories employed by another language that developed independently of the first.
(B) The categories of physical objects employed by one language correspond remarkably to the categories employed by another language that derives from the first.
(C) The categories of physical objects employed by speakers of a language correspond remarkably to the categories employed by other speakers of the same language.
(D) The sentence structures of languages in scientifically sophisticated societies vary little from language to language.
(E) Native speakers of many languages believe that the categories of physical objects employed by their language correspond to natural categories of objects in the world.

3  
 B 
 3. According to the passage, mathematics can be considered a language because it

(A) conveys meaning in the same way that metaphors do
(B) constitutes a systematic collection of signs
(C) corresponds exactly to aspects of physical phenomena
(D) confers explanatory power on scientific theories
(E) relies on previously agreed-upon conventions

4  
 B 
 4. The primary purpose of the third paragraph is to

(A) offer support for the view of linguists who believe that language has an essential correspondence to things
(B) elaborate the position of linguists who believe that truth is merely a matter of convention
(C) illustrate the differences between the essentialist and conventionalist positions in the linguists’ debate
(D) demonstrate the similarity of the linguists’ debate to a current debate among scientists about the nature of explanation
(E) explain the theory that mathematical statements are a kind of language

5  
 A 
 5. Based on the passage, linguists who subscribe to the theory described in lines 21–24 would hold that the statement “The ball is red” is true because

(A) speakers of English have accepted that “The ball is red” applies to the particular physical relationship being described
(B) speakers of English do not accept that synonyms for “ball” and “red” express these concepts as elegantly
(C) “The ball is red” corresponds essentially to every aspect of the particular physical relationship being described
(D) “ball” and “red” actually refer to an entity and a property respectively
(E) “ball” and “red” are mathematical concepts that attempt to accurately describe some particular physical relationship in the world

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 22   ( June 1997 ) 
 Difficulty Level:   700

auradediligodo · Accepted Answer

Hi everyone,
Took 13:10 minutes and got 4/5 correct.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P1

In paragraph one we are given that scientific concepts often are explained through mathematics. Some people even think of mathematics as a language and believe that mathematics can describe the physical word in statements. Lastly we are given that the objective of mathematics as a language is to attempt to describe the world in a way similar to the way other languages work.

Brief summary : mathematics is a language and its goal is to describe the physical world

P2

If we look into the pursuit of scientific knowledge we will find important questions about the role between language and what language refers to. A debate about how significantly language impacts the pursuit of knowledge has been going on for years among people who study languages. There might be 2 main scenarios: in the first one, language is significantly connected to objects and behaviors; on the other hand, in the second scenario, language is just made up of conventions, making knowledge quite inexact.

Brief summary : Language and what it refers to

P3

Recently, the view according to which language is made up of conventions is gaining wide currency. We are given that the way a language is used depends upon changes in accepted practice and the theory used in the discipline at hand. Furthermore, the people supporting this view also think that a mathematical statement is true until is disproved. Opponents object that there is no guarantee that such mathematics statement is 100% accurate.

Brief summary : Language is viewed as an ensemble of conventions

P4

Last paragraph works on the implications of the theory mentioned in P3. Linguists and scientists must ask themselves the following question: if language is just a matter of conventions, then how the words that we used will help us in acquiring knowledge?

Brief summary :A important question is yet to be addressed

Main point

The main point of the passage is to investigate the role of language in relation to the acquisition of knowledge.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Which one of the following statements most accurately expresses the passage’s main point?

Pre-thinking

Main point question

Refer to main point and summaries above

(A) Although scientists must rely on both language and mathematics in their pursuit of scientific knowledge, each is an imperfect tool for perceiving and interpreting aspects of the physical world.
 This statement is too extreme

(B) The acquisition of scientific knowledge depends on an agreement among scientists to accept some mathematical statements as more precise than others while acknowledging that all mathematics is inexact.
 In the passage nowhere it is said that scientists acknowledge that all mathematics is inexact

(C) If science is truly to progress, scientists must temporarily abandon the pursuit of new knowledge in favor of a systematic analysis of how the knowledge they already possess came to be accepted as true.
 Such abandonment is never mentioned

(D)   In order to better understand the acquisition of scientific knowledge, scientists must investigate mathematical statements’ relationship to the world just as linguists study language’s relationship to the world.
 This statement is in line with the last sentences of the passage

(E) Without the debates among linguists that preceded them, it is unlikely that scientists would ever have begun to explore the essential role played by mathematics in the acquisition of scientific knowledge.
 No such scenario is presented in the passage

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Which one of the following statements, if true, lends the most support to the view that language has an essential correspondence to the things it describes?

Pre-thinking

Strengthen question

From P2: "  The debate centers around whether
language corresponds in some essential way to objects
(20) and behaviors, making knowledge a solid and reliable
commodity;  "

(A)   The categories of physical objects employed by one language correspond remarkably to the categories employed by another language that developed independently of the first.
 This option suggests that 2 languages that evolved independently and still have correspondences between the words used and the objects such words refer to. Correct

(B) The categories of physical objects employed by one language correspond remarkably to the categories employed by another language that derives from the first.
 If one language derives from the other then of course words that describe objects are similar. Out

(C) The categories of physical objects employed by speakers of a language correspond remarkably to the categories employed by other speakers of the same language.
 Similar reasoning used in choice B

(D) The sentence structures of languages in scientifically sophisticated societies vary little from language to language.
 The sentence structure is irrelevant

(E) Native speakers of many languages believe that the categories of physical objects employed by their language correspond to natural categories of objects in the world.
 What native speakers believe is irrelevant

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. According to the passage, mathematics can be considered a language because it

Pre-thinking

Detail question

From P1: "  Some thinkers hold that mathematics is a kind of
language—a systematic contrivance of signs,  "

(A) conveys meaning in the same way that metaphors do
 Not mentioned

(B)   constitutes a systematic collection of signs
 In line with pre-thinking

(C) corresponds exactly to aspects of physical phenomena
 Not mentioned

(D) confers explanatory power on scientific theories
 Not mentioned

(E) relies on previously agreed-upon conventions
 Not mentioned

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. The primary purpose of the third paragraph is to

Pre-thinking

Purpose question

The third paragraph describes the view of those who think that language is made of conventions

(A) offer support for the view of linguists who believe that language has an essential correspondence to things
 Opposite

(B)   elaborate the position of linguists who believe that truth is merely a matter of convention
 In line with pre-thinking

(C) illustrate the differences between the essentialist and conventionalist positions in the linguists’ debate
 The conventionalist theory only is presented

(D) demonstrate the similarity of the linguists’ debate to a current debate among scientists about the nature of explanation
 Out of scope

(E) explain the theory that mathematical statements are a kind of language
 Not the intended purpose

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Based on the passage, linguists who subscribe to the theory described in lines 21–24 would hold that the statement “The ball is red” is true because

Pre-thinking

Inference question

Because a convention according to which such object is red is established

(A)   speakers of English have accepted that “The ball is red” applies to the particular physical relationship being described
 In line with pre-thinking

(B) speakers of English do not accept that synonyms for “ball” and “red” express these concepts as elegantly
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(C) “The ball is red” corresponds essentially to every aspect of the particular physical relationship being described
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(D) “ball” and “red” actually refer to an entity and a property respectively
 Not in line with pre-thinking

(E) “ball” and “red” are mathematical concepts that attempt to accurately describe some particular physical relationship in the world
 Not in line with pre-thinking

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is a good day to be alive!

sssanskaar · Answer

Hi L0S3R , Thanks for reaching out! How do I answer this question candidly?

hmmm.. Well, for me, this control on the timing came from practicing at least 2 hard RCs daily. I also initially started a habit of reading editorials to get familiar with the flow of the author's thoughts. There are certain typical structures that you will get familiar with once you read/practice a good bunch of RC passages - for example - Introducing an idea and elaborating on the same, discussing an idea and then evaluating pros and cons, presenting two sides of the debate on a point, proposing more research over a certain subject after listing down its advantages etc Once you get the hang of the structure, it gets easier. You now need to keep your focus on the important details of the paragraph while being in the flow of the passage. What I would suggest to you is that you write a summary of each para and extremely short notes while reading the passage. Initially, it may take time but this habit will certainly help you to build a skill of making mind maps automatically WITHOUT WRITING EVEN A SINGLE LETTER (in a shorter amount of time)! Also, I went through this RC guide by the legendary nightblade354

, and this single article helped me a lot to improve my accuracy and timing on RC. https://gmatclub.com/forum/mod-nightbla ... l#p2325769 See, to be honest, RC does not require mastery of a tremendous number of concepts as compared to the number of concepts required in CR and SC. It call comes down to just two main points- 1. Understanding the structure of the passage and 2. Dissecting specific portions of the passage to understand inferences. Adding one last point I can see that you have already achieved 80% accuracy in this passage! That's great man! Kudos! Keep practicing and you will surely see the improvement in your timing! Lastly, look for explanations that our beloved Sajjad1994 bhai keeps posting for the questions. Understand and ask why were you not able to discern those correctly. What went wrong. What did you miss. Note those down. For example - I always used to miss out on questions just because I had this bad habit of not verifying the answers by going back and checking in the passage. Learn from those mistakes and keep pushing

A little secret: Improving on RC is much easier than improving on CR

tejasvkalra · Answer

Can anyone explain how A is the correct answer to Q5 ?
I feel as if A pertains to the opposite theory and not to the theory talked about in lines 21-24

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. Based on the passage, linguists who subscribe to the theory described in lines 21–24 would hold that the statement “The ball is red” is true because

Difficulty Level:   650

Explanation

An extrapolation question. There’s nothing about balls, red or otherwise, in the passage; instead we have to apply the passage’s ideas to this concrete example. But which ideas? The key is to check out  lines 21-24  and recognize that we’re talking theory 2 here—the one that believes language to be un-fixed, a matter of common agreement. To those holding this view, the English sentence  “The ball is red”  is true simply because all English speakers agree upon what  “ball”  and  “red”  mean. That’s  (A).

(B)  The issue is why  “The ball is red”  is true, not whether there might or might not be better ways of saying it, e.g.  “The sphere is scarlet.”

(C)  Contrary.  “Essential correspondence”  is part of theory 1, not 2.

(D) ’s entity vs. property distinction isn’t a key element of either theory.

(E) “The ball is red”  is a conventional-language sentence that is true for different reasons, depending on which theory one supports. That has nothing to do with mathematics, which is a parallel but totally different aspect of the passage.

Answer: A

Explanation Credit: Kaplan LSAT

ricardorr04 · Answer

12.5 mins, and 4/5 correct. got question 2 wrong. had to pretty much guess on that one and move on... was a confusing question for me.

how would you guys have approached question #2?

Also if you guys could share your thoughts on difficulty levels, that would be helpful - thanks!

ricardorr04 · Answer

Actually just found out my mistake for question 2... it was a strengthen question, ("lends most support") totally missed that!

it actually isnt that bad of a question when you understand what the question is actually asking... next time need to be more aware of the fact that some RC questions are pretty much CRs lol

ArupRS · Answer

Please explain Question # 4

4. The primary purpose of the third paragraph is to ?

(A) offer support for the view of linguists who believe that language has an essential correspondence to things
(B) elaborate the position of linguists who believe that truth is merely a matter of convention
(C) illustrate the differences between the essentialist and conventionalist positions in the linguists’ debate
(D)  demonstrate the similarity of the linguists’ debate to a current debate among scientists about the nature of explanation  
(E) explain the theory that mathematical statements are a kind of language

I chose option D.. To my understanding it was showing ths similarity b/w linguistic debate and scientists debate that how truth is a mere convention.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. The primary purpose of the third paragraph is to

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

The first sentence of  Paragraph 3  makes it clear that the Paragraph’s topic is theory 2, the one described in  lines 21-24 , and if you’re wondering whether the author strays from it, take note of the signposts:  “According to linguists who support this view,”  (lines 26-27);  “These linguists argue that”  (lines 29-30); and  “Under this view,”  (line 38). These Keyword phrases alone tell us that all along,  Paragraph 3  is embroidering the theory that language is fluid and a matter of convention.

(A)  evokes theory 1 not 2.

(C)  is wrong in asserting that  Paragraph 3  is a compare/contrast vehicle between the two theories. In fact, theory 1 is left behind by the time we get to  Paragraph 3 , and it’s no wonder: Inferably theory 1 poses fewer problems for the idea of math as language (if it’s precise, it’s precise, right?). The author’s real interest is in whether language is in fact vague and changing, and that’s why he devotes all of  Paragraph 3  (and Paragraph 4) to that issue.

(D)  According to the last sentence  (lines 54-55)  the debate in science has barely begun, so it’s hard to see what  (D)  is talking about, let alone define  Paragraph 3  in  (D) ’s terms. What  Paragraph 3  does do is show that the same linguistic issues may apply in science as elsewhere, but that’s the  “elaboration”  to which correct choice  (B)  refers.

(E)  hearkens back to  Paragraph 1 . By  Paragraph 3  we’re exploring just what kind of language mathematics is.

Answer: B

Explanation Credit: Kaplan LSAT

CuriosStud · Answer

13.5 and got all 5 correct

yahya729 · Answer

is there a better explanation on 2?

Sheelarani · Answer

Question - "language has an essential correspondence to the things it describes?" 
Answer choice A- "The categories of physical objects employed by one language correspond remarkably to the categories employed by another language that developed independently of the first."
Basically what "A" trying to say is that if there are 2 independently developed languages, say English and French, and some categories or variables are used to describe a relationship of some objects or nature of the objects in relation to physical world then some other language, which is French in our example, would also describe those objects or categorize those objects using words which correspond to similar words of English (if we apply translation).

sssanskaar · Answer

8 minutes, all correct. Another beautiful LSAT passage! 
The trick in solving all 700 level passages is to read the passage slowly and then use that advantage in solving the questions.

VirFortis · Answer

How were you able to read slowly (the passage and the questions/answer choices) and answer all questions in 8 mins? Can you please elaborate on your strategy? It would really be helpful, in using that to understand what I am doing wrong and fixing that.

PS: I also read the passage slowly and It took 16m 30s for me to complete the passage - reading and answering the questions - got 4/5 correct.

Thanks.

rickyah · Answer

Very beautiful passage

Could anyone explain why B in question 5 is wrong? 5. Based on the passage, linguists who subscribe to the theory described in lines 21–24 would hold that the statement “The ball is red” is true because (A) speakers of English have accepted that “The ball is red” applies to the particular physical relationship being described (B) speakers of English do not accept that synonyms for “ball” and “red” express these concepts as elegantly See line 25 - 32: (25) Lately the latter theory has been gaining wider acceptance. According to linguists who support this theory, the way language is used varies depending upon changes in accepted practices and theories among those who work in a particular discipline. These (30) linguists argue that, in the pursuit of knowledge, a statement is true only when there are no promising alternatives that might lead one to question it. Imo choice B states the bolded part of the passage. What I understand from it is that we have a word for something because of consensus that we don't have better words to express it. What is actually the problem with choice B? Could anyone please explain? Thanks a lot.

VirFortis · Answer

This is how I understood it -The option B talks about the elegance of the words which more precisely means if they are the best words to express the statement. But that's not what is asked.

The question states that the "ball is red" is held as truth so why are the linguists compelled to do that - because the language speakers have attributed the words to the physical object and that there is no possible alternative to those words. Hence A stands as a good reason.

B - doesn't provide a reason why "ball is red" is accepted as truth instead it says that because synonyms are not elegant enough, they accept this, which assumes that 'elegance' plays a role in this decision making - which is not discussed in the passage.

All in all, You can unravel the meaning and peel off the layers of information based on your personal perspectives and you won't be wrong. That's what we are programmed to do and that's how the world work - we add our perspectives to the context to give wholesome reasoning to the ideas we encounter but IMO, in GMAT's constraints filled to-the-text world, we should stick as close to the text of the passage as possible and don't overthink it. When I did this question and read option B - My question was -"is elegance a factor for choosing a specific word?" - not mentioned in the passage and A seemed a more close to the passage answer and hence I selected that.

Hopefully, if I have not confused you more, this helps.

Please provide Kudos, if helpful.

Posted from my mobile device

akt715 · Answer

Some thinkers hold that mathematics is a kind of
language—a systematic contrivance of signs, the
(5) criteria for the authority of which are internal
coherence, elegance, and depth.

I am a non-native speaker , not able to make sense of what above lines are saying ?

wickedvikram · Answer

Hi 
Could you please explain, Q#3; I don't think answer should be B.
more inclined towards C, because maths describes physical aspects as language does.
As per my understanding of the passage, mathematics can be considered a language because it describes the functioning of some aspect of world.
Also, below excerpt from para 3 gives me the same impression

In science, a mathematical statement may be
(35) taken to account for every aspect of a phenomenon it is
applied to, but, some would argue, there is nothing
inherent in mathematical language that guarantees such
a correspondence. Under this view, acceptance of a
mathematical statement by the scientific community???
(40) by virtue of the statement??? s predictive power or
methodological efficiency???transforms what is
basically an analogy or metaphor into an explanation of
the physical process in question, to be held as true until
another, more compelling analogy takes its place.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

3. According to the passage, mathematics can be considered a language because it

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

Even students driven daffy by the middle of the text will hopefully recall that the passage begins with the very definition for which Q. 3 asks,  lines 3-4 . (B) substitutes  “collection”  for  “contrivance”  but is otherwise verbatim.

(A), (E)  In theory 2, language is metaphor  (lines 38-44) , relying on agreed-upon conventions  (line 23) . But does it define language? No one’s agreed on that, even less on whether mathematics meets that criterion.

(C)  is a concept from theory 1, not necessarily relevant to math and certainly not presented as a sheer definition of language.

(D)  refers to the way mathematics is used in science, not to what makes math a language. The power to explain is the function and beauty of language but not, insofar as the passage is concerned anyway, its definition.

Answer: B

Saupayan · Answer

I am totally with you on this one. I picked the same answer as you did. For the exact same reasons.
And I am still not convinced the OA (option A) is correct. Even if it is, no one has given a correct explanation for it.
According to view 2: no statement is necessarily true. It is true only till there is a promising alternative.
"A more elegant way" is a promising alternative.

Also, if we are being strict about the exact words used in the options here, option A doesn't use "agreed upon"

What it means to “explain” something in science often comes down to

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What it means to “explain” something in science often comes down to

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