#18 - Specific Reference, Must Be True, Subject Perspective

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (A).

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[lolaSur]

Hi!

For some reason this passage was very hard for me to understand. Could you please explain the answer to 18?

I think answer A is correct because paragraph 2 states "for lack of a better theory they assumed that in large interactive systems, the response to a disturbance is proportional to that disturbance."

The question stem uses the addition of a grain of sand to a sand pile to ask what can be inferred. So, if according to the investigators' theory adding a grain of sand to sand pile would create an effect proportional to that of the grain of salt, then because the grain of sand is so small the effect of adding the grain of sand would also be small and could never be big enough to be considered a catastrophe. Is my analysis correct? Please let me know.

Now, the question stem directed me to the second paragraph but I was doubtful about answer A because the last paragraph on The passage states "now when a grain of sand is added, it can start an avalanche of any size, including a "catastrophic" event." For this question, should I have focused solely on paragraph 2? Should I have ignored the rest of the passage?

Thank you!

For my reference: PT 16, 1995, RC q.18

[Robert Carroll]

lola,

Your analysis was perfect. We're only concerned with the prediction the investigators in the second paragraph would make. The passage eventually says they're wrong, but the question isn't asking us what the right prediction is - we're just predicting from the perspective of the second paragraph. And the last sentence of that is the perfect place to go - a grain of sand is small, and it can only ever cause a small effect. Answer choice (A) is exactly right.

Robert Carroll