There Can be Nothing Simpler than An Elementary Particle GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

There can be nothing simpler than an elementary particle: it is an indivisible shard of matter, without internal structure and without detectable shape or size. One might expect commensurate simplicity in the theories that describe such particles and the forces through which they interact; at the least, one might expect the structure of the world to be explained with a minimum number of particles and forces. Judged by this criterion of parsimony, a description of nature that has evolved in the past several years can be accounted a reasonable success. Matter is built out of just two elementary particles: the classes leptons, such as electrons, and the quarks, which make up protons, neutrons, and many related particles. Four basic forces act between the elementary particles. Gravitation and electromagnetism have long been familiar in the macroscopic world; the weak force and the strong force are observed only in subnuclear events.

An understanding of nature at this level is a remarkable achievement; nevertheless, it is possible to imagine what an even simpler theory might be like. Ideally, the two classes of elementary particles would be collapsed into one. Similarly, one force, rather than four, might explain all the particles' interactions. An ambitious new theory now promises at least a partial unification along these lines. The theory does not embrace gravitation, which is by far the feeblest of the forces and may be fundamentally different from the others. If gravitation is excluded, however, the theory unifies all elementary particles and forces.

The first step in constructing the unified theory was demonstrating that the weak, the strong, and the electromagnetic forces could all be described by theories of the same general type. During this development, a deep connection was discovered between the weak force and electromagnetism, a connection that hinted at still grander synthesis. The new theory incorporated the leptons and the quarks into a single family and showed that one type of particle can transform into the other. At the same time the weak, the strong, and the electromagnetic forces are understood as aspects of a single underlying force. Thus, the theory is a model of frugality.

“There can be nothing simpler than an elementary particle GMAT Reading Comprehension” - is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 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. The author organizes the passage by

A) enumerating distinctions among several different kinds of elementary particles
B) stating a criterion for judging theories of nature, and using it to evaluate two theories
C) explaining three methods of grouping particles and forces
D) criticizing an inaccurate view of elemental nature and proposing an alternative approach
E) outlining an assumption about scientific verification, then criticizing the assumption

2. According to the passage, which of the following is true of quarks?

1. They are the elementary building blocks of neutrons.
2. Scientists have described them as having no internal structure.
3. Some scientists group them with leptons in a single class of particles.

A) I only
B) III only
C) I and II only
D) II and III only
E) I, II, and III

3. It can be inferred that the author would be likely to consider a new theory of nature superior to present theories if it were to

A) account for a larger number of macroscopic structures than present theories
B) reduce the four basic forces to two more fundamental, incompatible forces
C) propose a smaller number of fundamental particles and forces than current theories
D) successfully account for the observable behavior of bodies due to gravity
E) hypothesize that protons but not neutrons are formed by combinations of more fundamental particles

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