Certain Theorists Believe that some Time After the Big Bang, Fluctuations in the Flow of Matter and Energy Constituted Seeds for Galaxy Formation.

Reading passage question

Certain theorists believe that some time after the Big Bang, fluctuations in the flow of matter and energy constituted seeds for galaxy formation. All models for generating fluctuations on a cosmological scale require a phase transition--a change in the fabric of space to produce lumps and ripples in the distribution of matter. When water freezes to form an ice cube, for example, parts often freeze at slightly different rates to form regions of ice, seen as fractured lines and planes that do not quite mesh. The question is when the phase transition took place.

The idea of a late phase transition is appealing because such a change would have occurred after energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation, or of photons, stabilized. This means a late phase transition would have had practically no effect on the microwave background radiation, which pervades the universe and appears uniform in every direction.

Alternative theories in which phase transitions happened earlier have difficulty explaining how fluctuations can grow to become seeds for galaxy formation without distorting the microwave background radiation to a greater extent than has been observed. Measurements of distortions in the microwave background radiation would provide the best tests of the new model. The less distortion observers detect, the more promising a late phase transition model will look.

“Certain theorists believe that some time after the Big Bang, fluctuations in the flow of matter and energy constituted seeds for galaxy formation.”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. According to the passage, which of the following would be regarded as most helpful in assessing competing hypotheses concerning the formation of galaxies?

A) An accurate measurement of the fractured lines and planes present in the fabric of space
B) The reliable detection of lumps and ripples in the matter in the distant regions of space
C) Accurate information regarding the amount of distortion in microwave background radiation
D) Detailed astronomical maps of visible galaxies with an age estimation of their distribution
E) An accurate measurement of the rate of the flow of matter and energy necessary to distort microwave background radiation

2. Which of the following best describes the primary focus of the passage?

A) Considering the possibility of a late-phase transition in the formation of the galaxies
B) Analyzing the causes of the fluctuations in matter and energy in galaxy formation
C) Describing the way in which galaxies formed after the Big Bang, and proposing other hypotheses
D) Comparing various theories regarding late phase transition, and assessing ways of judging their validity
E) Examining the possibility of a late phase transition in the formation of microwave background radiation

3. The author brings up the information about uniformity of microwave background radiation in order to

A) show the ways in which fractured lines and planes do not mesh
B) propose that an early phase transition is less likely
C) explore why a late phase transition did not leave greater distortion in the fabric of microwave background radiation
D) analyze the likelihood of flaws and lumps in the plane of space
E) examine the idea that the Big Bang produced lumps and ripples in matter

4. According to the late phase transition hypothesis, it is possible that the disturbances in matter and energy that became galaxies

A) affected the time of the phase transition more than was previously thought
B) are consistent with the uniformity of microwave background radiation
C) were responsible for the origins of fluctuations on a cosmological scale
D) occurred over a million years after the Big Bang, rather than in the first nanosecond of the universe's life
E) caused more severe distortion in the microwave background radiation than have been detected to this point

5. Which of the following is one of the principles put forth by the analogy of the ice cubes used in bold lines in First Paragraph?

A) Ice cubes appear in the same form as galaxies, and have many of the same properties.
B) In the years after our galaxy was formed, regions in space formed at different rates.
C) Density fluctuations eventually yielded the galaxies and galaxy clusters.
D) Ice cubes show internal imperfections that are relevant to the formation of matter.
E) The universe has a crystalline Structure

6. It can be inferred from the passage that all models for generating fluctuations on a cosmological scale maintain that the fabric of space

A) do not require a phase transition to have formed the various ripples in the fabric of space
B) can be explored by studying the way water undergoes phase changes
C) underwent a time of change in which matter altered the way it was dispersed
D) occurred after energy, in the form of electromagnetic radiation or photons, stabilized
E) constituted seeds for galaxy formation

7. According to the passage, which of the following is the purpose of the measurements mentioned in (Highlighted) lines?

A) To determine the time when electromagnetic radiation of photons stabilized
B) To find a large amount of distortion which could then argue for a late phase transition
C) To prove that there is a greater extent of distortion in microwave background radiation than has been observed
D) To test the validity of alternate theories regarding the number of lumps and ripples in the fabric of space
E) To determine the amount of distortion in microwave background radiation, which would help determine the relative time of the phase transition

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