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.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

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. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

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. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

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.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

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.8.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1