Snowball Effect

Which of the following conclusions about new theories in science can reasonably be drawn from the passage?

• New theories are always accepted by the scientific community.

• New theories must undergo rigorous testing before being accepted.

• All new theories in science are proven to be true eventually.

• New theories in science are not important for progress.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

Which of the following best describes how Frank's colleagues perceived him after he first presented the small-comet theory?

• They were supportive and intrigued by the theory

• They were skeptical and dismissed the theory

• They were indifferent and showed no interest

• They were hostile and openly criticized the theory

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The passage indicates that at the time Frank and Sigwarth presented new evidence supporting the small-comet theory, Frank most nearly felt:

• Confident

• Doubtful

• Surprised

• Indifferent

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The author uses the fourth paragraph (lines 27–33) primarily to:

• Introduce a new argument

• Provide an example

• Summarize the main idea

• Contrast different viewpoints

According to the passage, the research that led to the development of the small-comet theory began with a project originally intended to study:

• the atmospheric conditions of Earth

• the composition of cometary nuclei

• solar wind patterns

• the effects of cosmic rays on Earth's atmosphere

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The main function of lines 64–66 in terms of the eighth paragraph (lines 59–66) as a whole is to:

• Summarize the main ideas of the paragraph

• Introduce a new concept not previously discussed

• Provide evidence to support the paragraph's main argument

• Contrast with the ideas presented in the previous paragraphs

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

It can reasonably be inferred from the passage that within the scientific community the year the passage was published, the small-comet theory was:

• widely accepted

• controversially discussed

• largely ignored

• completely disproven

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

The author italicizes the word something in line 18 most likely to emphasize the:

• importance of the object

• uncertainty of the situation

• emotion of the character

• emphasis on a specific detail

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

When Richard Zare says that scientists lead a "constant schizophrenic existence" (lines 34–35), he most nearly means that they:

• have a hard time balancing personal and professional life

• experience frequent changes in their work environment

• must navigate between theoretical and practical aspects of science

• feel isolated from the non-scientific community

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

It can reasonably be inferred that Frank and Sigwarth conducted the study of the dark specks they found with a:

• microscope

• telescope

• spectrometer

• camera

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1