- Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:37 am
#14961
Hi Lavidaya!
This is a Justify the Conclusion question, and your task is to select the answer choice that could replace the explanation given in the stimulus for the conclusion while maintaining the same support for it. In other words, we need to find an answer choice that says essentially the same thing as the argument's premise.
The stimulus author says it is not surprising that the apocalyptic anxieties and utopian fantasies associated with the end of modern centuries have been proven to be misplaced. That is, none of the "end of the world as we know it" predictions that accompany every change in century have come true.
The author's explanation for this lack of centennial upheaval is that the century, as a measure of time, is arbitrary. While the Gregorian calendar, which recognizes the passage of centuries, is widely used, it is not the only calendar used. So for some people, based on their calendars, there is no such thing as the passage of a century, per se. Our prephrase is that the correct answer choice will essentially state this same thing, that the century as a unit of the passage of time is arbitrary.
Answer choice (C) accomplishes this, and is the correct answer choice. While shifting from the type of calendar used to the numeric system used, answer choice (C) tells us that a century -- a period of 100 years -- is arbitrary, because not everyone uses a number system based on the number 10. (For example, computers use base 2). Since base 10 is an arbitrary number system, then the use of 100 years as a significant time marker is also arbitrary.
I know that this is a complicated question. If I can be of further help, please let me know.
Ron
