#16 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Organization

[Administrator]

Please post your questions below! Thank you!

[em99]

I was able to eliminate B, C, and D right off the bat. I ended up selecting E. I just didn't see how Passage A moved from the specific to the general. Is it because it initially talks about detective fiction then moves to Literature as a whole?

and for Passage B, is it because it starts by discussing reading protocols then moves into rhetorical figures?

I guess answer E was appealing because it seems to explore implications, but I wasn't sure exactly what a thought experiment was.

[James Finch]

Hi EM,

Yes, passage A begins with a specific example of literature (detective stories) and uses information about it to then generalize about literature as a whole, while passage B begins by talking about fiction generally, then uses science fiction as a specific example.

The term "thought experiment" refers to a hypothetical situation used as evidence or even proof for a certain conclusion. It was a very common way of arguing in ancient Greek philosophical texts all the way through the scientific revolution, but isn't common anymore as we rely more upon direct experimental or real-world evidence, although they're still used where actual experiments would be impractical or impossible. Schroedinger's cat is a famous example.

Hope this helps!