Hi!
Can someone explain why A is wrong and B is correct?
according to the first paragraph, "the conclusion probably arose partly from a misunderstanding of the fact that the atoms in glass are not arranged in a fixed crystal structure." LN10.
Thank you!
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- renata.gomez
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Jackie Chiles
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- ManhattanPrepLSAT1
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Atticus Finch
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Re: Q25
We're asked to state the assumption the author attributes to the erroneous belief that window glass flows noticeably downward. In lines 16-19 we learn why people thought this was the case. Apparently people misunderstood the amorphous structure to indicate that glass, even when cooled below the transition point, would flow like a liquid. Answer choice (B) restates this assumption.
Incorrect Answers
(A) contradicts the passage. People knew the atomic structure was not crystalline. This answer suggests they didn't.
(C) is unsupported. While the answer choice is contradicted by the passage, this information has no relationship to why people believed glass to flow like a liquid.
(D) is contradicted by the passage. It's also not connected to why people believed glass to flow like a liquid.
(E) undermines the view that glass flows like a liquid, so couldn't be used as an assumption for that view.
Incorrect Answers
(A) contradicts the passage. People knew the atomic structure was not crystalline. This answer suggests they didn't.
(C) is unsupported. While the answer choice is contradicted by the passage, this information has no relationship to why people believed glass to flow like a liquid.
(D) is contradicted by the passage. It's also not connected to why people believed glass to flow like a liquid.
(E) undermines the view that glass flows like a liquid, so couldn't be used as an assumption for that view.
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- JesseKirkland
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Vinny Gambini
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Re: Q25
This one got me good. My problem was I misunderstood the sentence. I took the statement "misunderstanding of the fact" to mean, they misunderstood the fact itself, as in believed a different fact in it's place, not that they misunderstood the MEANING of the fact. With that minor misunderstanding on my part, there was no way I stood a chance on this Q... 
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- christine.defenbaugh
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Atticus Finch
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Re: Q25
Hey JesseKirkland, thanks for posting!
There are a few habits that we can engage in that help protect against misreadings like the one you describe! First, we have to be a little sensitive to the fact that the word "misunderstanding" could mean a number of different things. I can misunderstand the truth of something, or the meaning of it, or the implications of it, or the exact mechanics of it, etc. When we're faced with a reference sentence like this one that has a word that could easily be referring to lots of things, in a vacuum, we're obligated to take in the full context of the surrounding ideas, or even of the entire paragraph.
Why is the author referring to a 'misunderstanding' of the non-crystalline structure of glass in this line? To help explain where the myth of 'flowing solid glass' came from. If a person believes that solid glass 'flows', then it wouldn't make a lot of sense for them to think that glass is really crystalline! Crystalline things don't 'flow'! But such a person might take the fact that glass is amorphous-structure rather than crystalline-structure to then think (incorrectly) that that must mean that it behaves like a liquid.
Putting the 'misunderstanding' in context of the bigger purpose of the paragraph (explaining why people incorrectly think solid glass 'flows') can help us open our eyes to what the erroneous assumption really is. It's a great habit to go back to the text and grab an appropriate reference sentence - but sometimes, we have to take that sentence in context to understand what it really means, or what a particular word like "misunderstanding' is meant to tell us.
Does that help a bit?
There are a few habits that we can engage in that help protect against misreadings like the one you describe! First, we have to be a little sensitive to the fact that the word "misunderstanding" could mean a number of different things. I can misunderstand the truth of something, or the meaning of it, or the implications of it, or the exact mechanics of it, etc. When we're faced with a reference sentence like this one that has a word that could easily be referring to lots of things, in a vacuum, we're obligated to take in the full context of the surrounding ideas, or even of the entire paragraph.
Why is the author referring to a 'misunderstanding' of the non-crystalline structure of glass in this line? To help explain where the myth of 'flowing solid glass' came from. If a person believes that solid glass 'flows', then it wouldn't make a lot of sense for them to think that glass is really crystalline! Crystalline things don't 'flow'! But such a person might take the fact that glass is amorphous-structure rather than crystalline-structure to then think (incorrectly) that that must mean that it behaves like a liquid.
Putting the 'misunderstanding' in context of the bigger purpose of the paragraph (explaining why people incorrectly think solid glass 'flows') can help us open our eyes to what the erroneous assumption really is. It's a great habit to go back to the text and grab an appropriate reference sentence - but sometimes, we have to take that sentence in context to understand what it really means, or what a particular word like "misunderstanding' is meant to tell us.
Does that help a bit?
4 posts Page 1 of 1