Q17

[jwms]

Quick question on this one.

Answer choice (D) discusses Planck exclusively as being the Main Point of the passage. I had been under the impression that a good way to cut through Main Point questions is to find the AC that encapsulates each paragraph -- at least, the thrust of each paragraph.

This is why I determined (D) to be too narrow of a scope, and had it narrowed down to (B) and (E).

(B) I then removed because Planck hadn't actually demonstrated that radiation exist as particles; that was Einstein.

(E), then, became the appealing choice for me, though still flawed.

Nevertheless, I'd appreciate thoughts on the narrow scope of (D). I made the same mistake in the previous passage (Fairy Tales), eliminating a correct Main Point AC because I thought it to be too narrow in scope.

[maryadkins]

It's important to remember that you are always looking for the best answer choice of the five. This is why we really emphasize process of elimination, or Wrong-to-Right, on Reading Comp at Manhattan Prep.

Sometimes the right answer choice will not be ideal.

In this case, (D) is the best answer.

(A) is too extreme and not supported.

(B) you eliminated for the right reason—that wasn't Planck.

(C) misses key parts of the passage—that he was right, for instance.

(D) works. Just because it doesn't mention Einstein by name doesn't make it too narrow. It says that Planck's research was "further supported by theoretical justification" (beginning of paragraph 3, lines 48-50).

(E) misconstrues the finding and the theory. The theory is about discrete energies rather than smooth ones (lines 40-45, line 52, line 57).

Hope this helps. (D) is the closest match.

[JianiL759]

It's important to remember that you are always looking for the best answer choice of the five. This is why we really emphasize process of elimination, or Wrong-to-Right, on Reading Comp at Manhattan Prep.

Sometimes the right answer choice will not be ideal.

In this case, (D) is the best answer.

(A) is too extreme and not supported.

(B) you eliminated for the right reason—that wasn't Planck.

(C) misses key parts of the passage—that he was right, for instance.

(D) works. Just because it doesn't mention Einstein by name doesn't make it too narrow. It says that Planck's research was "further supported by theoretical justification" (beginning of paragraph 3, lines 48-50).

(E) misconstrues the finding and the theory. The theory is about discrete energies rather than smooth ones (lines 40-45, line 52, line 57).

Hope this helps. (D) is the closest match.

Hi. I was stuck between B and D on this one. I think B can also be understood as saying:

“Classical wave theory, an incorrect formulation of the nature of radiation, was corrected by Planck, and other physicists after Planck performed experiments that demonstrated that radiation exists as particles."

I think the understanding above also makes sense and is supported by the passage. Could you help me with this? Thank you.