#21 - Must Be True, Purpose

[Nina]

why is answer B "uncomplicated" incorrect?

Thanks!

[Steve Stein]

In that context, "explicit" means clear, but the discussion is still about fractal geometry; an explicit explanation does not necessarily keep a subject from being complicated.

I hope that's helpful! Let me know whether it's clear--thanks!

~Steve

[Nina]

Very helpful! Thanks!

[Rita]

Hi Steve,

Why is answer choice A incorrect? Since we know that the first stage is an exact model of each subsequent stage, isn't it true to say that the rules for getting from one stage to another are "illustrated by an example"?

Thanks,
Rita

[Adam Tyson]

Hey Rita, good question. While it is true that in this case our particular fractal pattern is illustrated by an example, that doesn't go far enough to explain what is meant by the more general claim that the rules for continuing the pattern are "fully explicit". Moreover, an example, while helpful, may not be fully explicit - there may be subtleties that are not clearly shown by the example. Answer C is a better choice here, in that the author is telling us that there can be no doubt about what the rules are, making the results completely predictable at every level.

Try replacing "fully explicit" in the text with the test of answer A and then again with answer C, and I think you will find that C is a more faithful expression of what the author was trying to say there. Think about which answer will make it true that you could program a computer to generate images at any level of the process, since that is what this phrase is meant to support.

[Rita]

Hi Adam,

Thanks, replacing the phrase in the paragraph with each answer really helps!

Rita