byRituparna Nath Content Writer at Study Abroad Exams
Reading Passage Question
One of the foundations of scientific research is that an experimental result is credible only if it can be replicated—only if performing the experiment a second time leads to the same result. But physicists John Sommerer and Edward Ott have conceived of a physical system in which even the least change in the starting conditions—no matter how small, inadvertent, or undetectable—can alter results radically. The system is represented by a computer model of a mathematical equation describing the motion of a particle placed in a particular type of force field.
Sommerer and Ott based their system on an analogy with the phenomena known as riddled basins of attraction. If two bodies of water bound a large landmass and water is spilled somewhere on the land, the water will eventually make its way to one or the other body of water, its destination depending on such factors as where the water is spilled and the geographic features that shape the water’s path and velocity. The basin of attraction for a body of water is the area of land that, whenever water is spilled on it, always directs the spilled water to that body.
In some geographical formations it is sometimes impossible to predict, not only the exact destination of the spilled water, but even which body of water it will end up in. This is because the boundary between one basin of attraction and another is riddled with fractal properties; in other words, the boundary is permeated by an extraordinarily high number of physical irregularities such as notches or zigzags. Along such a boundary, the only way to determine where spilled water will flow at any given point is actually to spill it and observe its motion; spilling the water at any immediately adjacent point could give the water an entirely different path, velocity, or destination.
In the system posited by the two physicists, this boundary expands to include the whole system: i.e., the entire force field is riddled with fractal properties, and it is impossible to predict even the general destination of the particle given its starting point. Sommerer and Ott make a distinction between this type of uncertainty and that known as “chaos”; under chaos, a particle’s general destination would be predictable but its path and exact destination would not.
There are presumably other such systems because the equation the physicists used to construct the computer model was literally the first one they attempted, and the likelihood that they chose the only equation that would lead to an unstable system is small. If other such systems do exist, metaphorical examples of riddled basins of attraction may abound in the failed attempts of scientists to replicate previous experimental results—in which case, scientists would be forced to question one of the basic principles that guide their work.
“One of the foundations of scientific research is that an experimental result is credible” - is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.
This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 5 comprehension questions. GMAT reading Comprehension passages take advantage when students encounter unfamiliar words. It can be a real blow to confidence, making them question whether they can complete the task at hand. Practice can help candidates learn some of the jargon associated with weaker areas. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.
Solution and Explanation
- Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?
(A) Sommerer and Ott’s model suggests that many of the fundamental experimental results of science are unreliable because they are contaminated by riddled basins of attraction.
(B) Sommerer and Ott’s model suggests that scientists who fail to replicate experimental results might be working within physical systems that make replication virtually impossible.
(C) Sommerer and Ott’s model suggests that experimental results can never be truly replicated because the starting conditions of an experiment can never be re-created exactly.
(D) Sommerer and Ott’s model suggests that most of the physical systems studied by scientists are in fact metaphorical examples of riddled basins of attraction.
(E) Sommerer and Ott’s model suggests that an experimental result should not be treated as credible unless that result can be replicated.
Answer: B
Explanation- What transpires when scientists are unable to replicate experiments is covered in choice (B). This "riddled basin of attraction" metaphor/phenomenon may be to blame if a scientist is unable to replicate a result. So the apt answer is option B.
- The discussion of the chaos of physical systems is intended to perform which one of the following functions in the passage?
(A) emphasize the extraordinarily large number of physical irregularities in a riddled basin of attraction
(B) emphasize the unusual types of physical irregularities found in Sommerer and Ott’s model
(C) emphasize the large percentage of a riddled basin of attraction that exhibits unpredictability
(D) emphasize the degree of unpredictability in Sommerer and Ott’s model
(E) emphasize the number of fractal properties in a riddled basin of attraction
Answer: D
Explanation- Throughout the passage, there are a few conceptual references that need to be defined. However, once the reader is introduced to the chaos concept, the references become much clearer. Observe how it is impossible to predict even a general destination with the riddled basins of attraction. Then, to differentiate it from the variational principle of chaos as it is applied in particle physics and the estimation of a particle's path. The idea of general destination prediction is carried over. In other words, the study of the complex basins of attraction is less chaotic than particle physics because the particle's general destination can be predicted. The general location of the water pathway cannot. So the correct answer is D.
- Given the information in the passage, Sommerer and Ott are most likely to agree with which one of the following?
(A) It is sometimes impossible to determine whether a particular region exhibits fractal properties.
(B) It is sometimes impossible to predict even the general destination of a particle placed in a chaotic system.
(C) It is sometimes impossible to re-create exactly the starting conditions of an experiment.
(D) It is usually possible to predict the exact path water will travel if it is spilled at a point not on the boundary between two basins of attraction.
(E) It is usually possible to determine the path by which a particle traveled given information about where it was placed and its eventual destination
Answer: C
Explanation- The implications of the model proposed by Sommerer and Ott are also of interest to the author, who is not only interested in describing it. The passage claims that the physicists' model suggested there might be a system that is so unstable that accurate experimental results cannot be reproduced. Answer option (C) points out one potential symptom of system instability: the inability to duplicate the initial conditions of an experiment.
- Which one of the following most accurately describes the author’s attitude toward the work of Sommerer and Ott?
(A) skeptical of the possibility that numerous unstable systems exist but confident that the existence of numerous unstable systems would call into question one of the foundations of science
(B) convinced of the existence of numerous unstable systems and unsure if the existence of numerous unstable systems calls into question one of the foundations of science
(C) convinced of the existence of numerous unstable systems and confident that the existence of numerous unstable systems calls into question one of the foundations of science
(D) persuaded of the possibility that numerous unstable systems exist and unsure if the existence of numerous unstable systems would call into question one of the foundations of science
(E) persuaded of the possibility that numerous unstable systems exist and confident that the existence of numerous unstable systems would call into question one of the foundations of science
Answer: E
Explanation- The implications of the system developed by the two scientists seem to intrigue the author. Confident that the existence of many unstable systems would cast doubt on one of science's tenets and convinced that many unstable systems may exist. Persuaded is more accurate than convinced, so it is true.
- According to the passage, Sommerer and Ott’s model differs from a riddled basin of attraction in which one of the following ways?
(A) In the model, the behavior of a particle placed at any point in the system is chaotic; in a riddled basin of attraction, only water spilled at some of the points behaves chaotically.
(B) In a riddled basin of attraction, the behavior of water spilled at any point is chaotic; in the model, only particles placed at some of the points in the system behave chaotically.
(C) In the model, it is impossible to predict the destination of a particle placed at any point in the system; in a riddled basin of attraction, only some points are such that it is impossible to predict the destination of water spilled at each of those points.
(D) In a riddled basin of attraction, water spilled at two adjacent points always makes its way to the same destination; in the model, it is possible for particles placed at two adjacent points to travel to different destinations.
(E) In the model, two particles placed successively at a given point always travel to the same destination; in a riddled basin of attraction, water spilled at the same point on different occasions may make its way to different destinations.
Answer: C
Explanation- Yes, forecasting directions in the model is impossible, but in the riddled basin, the issue only pertains to the boundaries. So the correct answer is C.
- Which one of the following best defines the term “basin of attraction,” as that term is used in the passage?
(A) the set of all points on an area of land for which it is possible to predict the destination, but not the path, of water spilled at that point
(B) the set of all points on an area of land for which it is possible to predict both the destination and the path of water spilled at that point
(C) the set of all points on an area of land that are free from physical irregularities such as notches and zigzags
(D) the set of all points on an area of land for which water spilled at each point will travel to a particular body of water
(E) the set of all points on an area of land for which water spilled at each point will travel to the same exact destination.
Answer: D
Explanation- In paragraph 2, the author defines a "basin of attraction" as "the region of land … water to [a particular body of water]." That is the suggested response (D).
- Which one of the following is most clearly one of the “metaphorical examples of riddled basins of attraction” mentioned in lines 52–53?
(A) A scientist is unable to determine if mixing certain chemicals will result in a particular chemical reaction because the reaction cannot be consistently reproduced since sometimes the reaction occurs and other times it does not despite starting conditions that are in fact exactly the same in each experiment.
(B) A scientist is unable to determine if mixing certain chemicals will result in a particular chemical reaction because the reaction cannot be consistently reproduced since it is impossible to bring about starting conditions that are in fact exactly the same in each experiment.
(C) A scientist is unable to determine if mixing certain chemicals will result in a particular chemical reaction because the reaction cannot be consistently reproduced since it is impossible to produce starting conditions that are even approximately the same from one experiment to the next.
(D) A scientist is able to determine that mixing certain chemicals results in a particular chemical reaction because it is possible to consistently reproduce the reaction even though the starting conditions vary significantly from one experiment to the
next.
(E) A scientist is able to determine that mixing certain chemicals results in a particular chemical reaction because it is possible to consistently reproduce the reaction despite the fact that the amount of time it takes for the reaction to occur varies significantly depending on the starting conditions of the experiment.
Answer: B
Explanation- The implications of the model proposed by Sommerer and Ott are also of interest to the author, who is not only interested in describing it. The passage claims that the physicists' model suggested there might be a system that is so unstable that accurate experimental results cannot be reproduced. Answer option (C) points out one potential symptom of system instability: the inability to duplicate the initial conditions of an experiment.
Suggested GMAT Reading Comprehension Samples
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- Currently the Internet is a Non-Discriminatory Space, Where Each Site Sends Information Freely.
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- In Any Country, the Wages Commanded by the Labourers are Determined by the Productivity
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- A recent history of the Chicago meat-packing industry
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- At the peak of tulip mania in Holland, in March 1637
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- The outsourcing of production factories to locations overseas from companies
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- United States Corporations Seeking to Improve Productivity Relied on Cost-Cutting Measures
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- “Strange Bedfellows!” Lamented the Title of a Recent Letter to Museum News
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- For Business Executives, Managing Growth of a Company at an Appropriate Rate is a Central Challenge
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- Historically, Relations Between Workers and Employers in the United States have Often Been Characterized
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- Like any industry, the gaming industry has seen several cycles of expansion and consolidation
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- In an Atmosphere of Increasing Scrutiny of Securities Trading
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- In Periods When there are more Qualified Candidates than Job Openings
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- Although the European Central Bank (ECB) is Subject to Far More Constraints
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- The Stock Market Tends to Move in Response to the Release of the U.S. Consumer Confidence Index (CCI)
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- The World Wide Web, a Network of Electronically Produced and Interconnected
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- In the Early 1970s, a New System of Organizing the Grow- ing
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- Typically managed by small groups such as husband-and-wife teams
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- Business analysts remain divided over the reasons behind the declining average lifespan
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- Modern Containerization was Born with the Concept of Intermodalism
- GMAT Reading Comprehension- Chief Executive Officers are Often Driven more by their Short-Term Personal Interests
Comments