Passage 129
The hypothesis of an expanding Earth hasnever attracted notable support, and if it were not for thehistorical example of continental drift, such indifference mightbe a legitimate response to an apparently improbable concept. Itshould be remembered, however, that drift too was once regardedas illusory, but the idea was kept alive until evidence fromphysicists compelled geologists to reinterpret their data.
Of course, it would be as dangerous tooverreact to history by concluding that the majority must now bewrong about expansion as it would be to reenact the response thatgreeted the suggestion that the continents had drifted. The casesare not precisely analogous. There were serious problems with thepre-drift world view that a drift theory could help to resolve,whereas Earth expansion appears to offer no comparableadvantages. If, however, physicists could show that theEarth's gravitational force has decreased with time,expansion would have to be reconsidered and accommodated.
Questions:| 1 | The passage indicates that one reason why the expansion hypothesis has attracted little support is that it will not | |
| A. | Overcome deficiencies in current geologic hypotheses | |
| B. | Clarify theories concerning the Earth's gravitational forces | |
| C. | Complement the theory of continental drift | |
| D. | Accommodate relevant theories from the field of physics | |
| E. | Withstand criticism from scientists outside the field of geology | |
| 2 | The final acceptance of a drift theory could best be used to support the argument that | |
| A. | Physicists are reluctant to communicate with other scientists | |
| B. | Improbable hypotheses usually turn out to be valid | |
| C. | There should be cooperation between different fields of science | |
| D. | There is a need for governmental control of scientific research | |
| E. | Scientific theories are often proved by accident | |
| 3 | In developing his argument, the author warns against | |
| A. | Relying on incomplete measurements | |
| B. | Introducing irrelevant information | |
| C. | Rejecting corroborative evidence | |
| D. | Accepting uninformed opinions | |
| E. | Making unwarranted comparisons | |
| 4 | It can be deduced from the passage that the gravitational force at a point on the Earth's surface is | |
| A. | Representative of the geologic age of the Earth | |
| B. | Analogous to the movement of land masses | |
| C. | Similar to optical phenomena such as mirages | |
| D. | Proportional to the size of the Earth | |
| E. | Dependent on the speed of the Earth's rotation | |
| Question No. | Answer |
| 1 | A |
| 2 | C |
| 3 | E |
| 4 | D |