#12 - Specific Reference , Must Be True

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (C).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[Claire.L]

Hello!

Why C is correct not B? Which sentence can tell us? Thank you!!

[Luke Haqq]

Hi Claire.L!

This question stems asks us how passage B relates to "the assertion in passage A that 'skeptics of paranormal phenomena are generally near the reductionist extreme.'"

For support for answer choice (C) over (B), one good place to start is the definitions given in the first paragraph of passage A. In particular, "The reductionist view holds that all kinds of knowledge, from physics to ethics, can be reduced to science. The traditional view holds that science is one of many independent sources of knowledge." In passage A, Dyson identifies himself as holding the traditional view, and the passage suggests that this impacts his views on psychic and other paranormal research. For Dyson, paranormal phenomena might still be possible even if scientific methods cannot confirm them to be true, that is, even if we cannot have scientific knowledge about them.

In contrast, passage B reflects what passage A identifies as the reductionist view. For example, the author holds that "[t]he only way to find out if anecdotes represent real phenomena is controlled experimental tests." This language suggests that the author of passage B thinks only scientific knowledge counts. Since psychic and other paranormal research relies on anecdotes and can't be confirmed in scientific studies, the author of passage B differs from Dyson and concludes that such paranormal phenomena are bogus if science cannot confirm them to be true.

So passage B instantiates a view that is skeptical of paranormal phenomena and is near the reductionist extreme. This is why (C) is correct: "Passage B serves as an example of that assertion." We'd need something explicit in passage that is dismissive of the mentioned assertion for (B) to be a contender. It seems like we don't know what the author of passage B's views would be with respect to that assertion.

[Claire.L]

Hi Luke,

Thank you for your explanation! I got it.

Hi Claire.L!

This question stems asks us how passage B relates to "the assertion in passage A that 'skeptics of paranormal phenomena are generally near the reductionist extreme.'"

For support for answer choice (C) over (B), one good place to start is the definitions given in the first paragraph of passage A. In particular, "The reductionist view holds that all kinds of knowledge, from physics to ethics, can be reduced to science. The traditional view holds that science is one of many independent sources of knowledge." In passage A, Dyson identifies himself as holding the traditional view, and the passage suggests that this impacts his views on psychic and other paranormal research. For Dyson, paranormal phenomena might still be possible even if scientific methods cannot confirm them to be true, that is, even if we cannot have scientific knowledge about them.

In contrast, passage B reflects what passage A identifies as the reductionist view. For example, the author holds that "[t]he only way to find out if anecdotes represent real phenomena is controlled experimental tests." This language suggests that the author of passage B thinks only scientific knowledge counts. Since psychic and other paranormal research relies on anecdotes and can't be confirmed in scientific studies, the author of passage B differs from Dyson and concludes that such paranormal phenomena are bogus if science cannot confirm them to be true.

So passage B instantiates a view that is skeptical of paranormal phenomena and is near the reductionist extreme. This is why (C) is correct: "Passage B serves as an example of that assertion." We'd need something explicit in passage that is dismissive of the mentioned assertion for (B) to be a contender. It seems like we don't know what the author of passage B's views would be with respect to that assertion.