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Difficulty: MediumRhetorical Functions of Sentences and Paragraphs

In 1964, radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were troubled by a persistent, low-frequency buzz emanating from their Crawford Hill horn antenna. Regardless of where they pointed the instrument in the night sky, or how meticulously they scrubbed the telescope of nesting pigeons and their debris, the static remained. The researchers initially assumed the noise was an instrumental malfunction or a local disturbance. However, Princeton physicist Robert Dicke, upon learning of their predicament, recognized the noise not as a local nuisance, but as the long-sought cosmic microwave background radiation—the thermal echo of the Big Bang itself.

Based on the passage, what is the primary rhetorical function of the highlighted sentence ("Regardless of where... the static remained")?

  1. It emphasizes the researchers' diligent efforts to eliminate potential local causes for the interference before concluding it had a cosmic origin.Answer
  2. B
    It describes the physical habitat of the wildlife surrounding the Crawford Hill antenna to explain why the telescope failed.
  3. C
    It explains the mechanical process by which cosmic microwave background radiation interacts with radio antennas.
  4. D
    It transitions the passage from a serious discussion of physics to a humorous critique of the researchers' amateur methods.

Answer

It emphasizes the researchers' diligent efforts to eliminate potential local causes for the interference before concluding it had a cosmic origin.
The correct answer accurately states that the sentence illustrates the rigorous procedures the astronomers undertook to ensure the noise was not a simple mechanical or local issue, thereby preparing the reader for the discovery that the noise had a profound cosmic origin.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context surrounding the target sentence.
The target sentence describes the researchers pointing the telescope in different directions and cleaning it thoroughly, yet the static remains.
Understanding what the sentence literally states is the first step to determining its broader function.
2
Determine the structural role of these cleaning and testing actions in the context of the passage.
By showing they eliminated variables like pointing direction and physical debris, the author establishes that the static was not due to local factors or equipment error.
This establishes the argumentative necessity of their actions before introducing the cosmic explanation.
3
Evaluate the answer choices to identify the option that describes this systematic exclusion of local interference.
The correct option correctly identifies this function of emphasizing troubleshooting and elimination of variables.
This matches the rhetorical structure of a scientific narrative where local anomalies must be ruled out.

Key Concept

Identifying the rhetorical function of a specific sentence in a passage
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Rhetorical Functions of Sentences and Paragraphs

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