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Question

Difficulty: HardMeeting Specific Rhetorical Goals

Passage Excerpt:

In 1964, radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were troubled by a persistent, low-frequency hum emanating from their Holmdel horn antenna. Seeking to isolate the source of this background noise, they systematically dismantled and cleaned the equipment, even going so far as to scrub away what they dryly referred to as a "white dielectric material" left by nesting pigeons. Despite these meticulous efforts, the static remained, [eventually leading to their realization that they had detected the cosmic microwave background radiation—the thermal echo of the Big Bang].

Question:

The writer wants to choose a concluding phrase for the sentence (replacing the underlined portion in brackets) that emphasizes the contrast between the mundane, domestic nature of the troubleshooting tasks and the vast, cosmic scale of their discovery. Given that all the choices are true, which one best accomplishes this goal?

  1. eventually leading to their realization that they had detected the cosmic microwave background radiation—the thermal echo of the Big Bang.Answer
  2. B
    proving that the Holmdel horn antenna was a highly functional piece of engineering.
  3. C
    confirming that their cleaning efforts, though very thorough, did not solve the problem.
  4. D
    they realized that the hum was actually the thermal echo of the Big Bang.

Answer

The original phrasing (NO CHANGE) is the correct choice because it is grammatically correct and successfully highlights the contrast between the domestic task of scrubbing pigeon droppings and the grand scale of the cosmic microwave background radiation.
The original phrasing (NO CHANGE) best accomplishes the writer's goal because it contrasts the domestic, mundane nature of cleaning pigeon nests with the vast, ancient origin of the signal ('cosmic microwave background radiation—the thermal echo of the Big Bang'). This phrasing highlights the shift from a small-scale, ordinary chore to a discovery of universal significance.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the writer's specific rhetorical goal in the prompt.
The goal is to emphasize the contrast between the mundane troubleshooting tasks (like cleaning pigeon droppings) and the vast, cosmic scale of the discovery.
This establishes the criteria for evaluating the choices.
2
Evaluate the choices against the rhetorical goal.
The options focusing on the antenna's functionality and the cleaning failure do not mention the cosmic discovery, so they are eliminated. The option stating 'they realized...' and the original phrasing both mention the Big Bang, which represents the cosmic scale.
This narrows down the choices to those that address the rhetorical requirements.
3
Assess the remaining options for grammatical correctness.
The option stating 'they realized...' creates a comma splice because it introduces a new independent clause after a comma. The original phrasing (NO CHANGE) uses a participial modifier ('eventually leading to...') that connects grammatically and logically.
This determines the final correct choice based on both grammar and rhetoric.

Key Concept

Meeting Specific Rhetorical Goals
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Topics

Meeting Specific Rhetorical Goals

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