Question

The claim made in Passage 1 that a consensus exists (lines 8-11) would most likely be interpreted by the author of Passage 2 as

• A. evidence of compromise in the scientific community
• B. an attack on SETI researchers
• C. support for Fermis analysis
• D. a revelation of an unexpected truth
• E. an oversimplification of a complex debate

Answer 1

Answer: (E)

an oversimplification of a complex debate

The debate about life on other galaxies is a complex one with many different views and perspectives. There is no aspect about this debate that is completely agreed upon by the scientific community. This is the undertone of the second passage. In this context, the claim of the author of passage 1 that a consensus exists (lines 8-11) would seem like a generalization and simplification to the author of passage 2. Therefore E is the answer.

The other choices do not fit the context and are therefore incorrect.