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Difficulty: Very hardEvaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

The following passage is about the discovery of pulsars.

In 1967, astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell detected a series of anomalous, highly regular radio pulses while analyzing data from a newly constructed radio telescope. The signals were so precise, repeating every 1.33 seconds, that Bell Burnell and her advisor, Antony Hewish, jokingly designated the source 'LGM-1' (for 'Little Green Men'). Hewish was later awarded the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery, an honor that many astronomers believed Bell Burnell should have shared. However, as similar pulses were soon observed in other regions of the sky, the researchers concluded that the signals had a natural, celestial origin rather than an extraterrestrial one. These objects, named 'pulsars,' are now understood to be rapidly rotating neutron stars emitting beams of electromagnetic radiation.

The writer is considering deleting the underlined sentence from the passage. Should the writer make this deletion?

  1. A
    Keep it, because it provides crucial biographical context that establishes Bell Burnell's significance in the field of astrophysics.
  2. B
    Keep it, because it explains the specific role that Hewish played in analyzing the radio telescope data.
  3. Delete it, because it interrupts the explanation of how pulsars were discovered and identified with details about the subsequent recognition of the researchers.Answer
  4. D
    Delete it, because it contradicts the paragraph's claim that the radio signals were eventually determined to have a natural origin.

Answer

The correct answer states that the sentence should be deleted because it interrupts the explanation of how pulsars were discovered and identified with details about the subsequent recognition of the researchers.
The correct option correctly determines that the sentence should be deleted because it interrupts the paragraph's focus. The paragraph describes the scientific sequence of events in the discovery of pulsars, explaining how the signals were detected, initially hypothesized to be extraterrestrial, and eventually identified as rapidly rotating neutron stars. The underlined sentence, which discusses the 1974 Nobel Prize award and controversy, shifts the focus from the scientific process of discovery to post-discovery recognition, thereby disrupting the logical flow of the passage.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main focus of the paragraph.
The paragraph describes the scientific process of discovering pulsars, from the initial detection of regular pulses to the conclusion that they are rotating neutron stars.
Understanding the paragraph's specific focus is necessary to evaluate the relevance of any single sentence.
2
Analyze the content of the underlined sentence.
The underlined sentence discusses the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics, Hewish's receipt of the award, and the controversy surrounding Bell Burnell's exclusion.
This step determines whether the sentence's content directly supports the main focus of the paragraph.
3
Determine whether the underlined sentence should be kept or deleted by comparing its content to the paragraph's focus.
The sentence should be deleted because it introduces historical/award controversy that interrupts the narrative of the scientific discovery and identification of pulsars.
Irrelevant information that disrupts the flow and focus of a paragraph should be deleted.
4
Match this decision and reasoning to the correct option.
The option stating that the sentence should be deleted because it interrupts the explanation of the discovery and identification of pulsars is correct.
This option correctly identifies both the correct edit (delete) and the correct rhetorical justification.

Key Concept

Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

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