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Difficulty: Very hardFulfilling Specific Rhetorical and Writing Goals

The writer wants to organize the sentences of a draft paragraph to logically trace how a persistent experimental anomaly led to a major cosmological discovery. To achieve this goal, what is the most logical sequence for the following sentences?

  1. 1In 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson began calibrating a highly sensitive horn antenna at Bell Labs to measure radio waves from the Milky Way.
  2. 2Instead of a clean signal, however, their instrument detected a constant, low-temperature hum that was uniform in all directions and did not vary by day or night.
  3. 3Hoping to eliminate what they assumed was local interference, they meticulously cleaned the structure's interior, even scrubbing away debris left by nesting pigeons.
  4. 4Unbeknownst to the two astronomers, a team of Princeton theorists was simultaneously calculating the expected signature of the thermal radiation leftover from the universe's early expansion.
  5. 5When Penzias and Wilson finally shared their data with the Princeton group, the researchers realized that this persistent technical nuisance was, in fact, the cosmic microwave background.

Answer

The correct logical order of the sentences is: the calibration of the horn antenna, the detection of the unexpected low-temperature hum, the cleaning attempts to resolve the interference, the introduction of the Princeton theorists' calculations, and finally the sharing of data that identified the hum as the cosmic microwave background.
The narrative must begin by introducing the astronomers and their antenna calibration. The next logical step is the complication of the constant hum, which is immediately followed by the efforts to scrub the horn's interior to eliminate it. The paragraph then transitions to the Princeton theorists working on the same background radiation in parallel. Finally, the astronomers share their data with the Princeton theorists, resolving the source of the noise as the cosmic microwave background.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the introductory sentence.
The sentence introducing Arno Penzias, Robert Wilson, and their initial project calibrating the horn antenna must come first because it establishes the primary subjects and setting.
This sets the stage for the narrative and defines the actors and the equipment before any actions or anomalies are described.
2
Identify the direct contrast or complication.
The sentence noting that their instrument detected a constant, low-temperature hum instead of a clean signal logically follows the description of their calibration attempts.
The transition 'Instead of a clean signal, however' directly contrasts with the goal of calibrating the antenna to measure radio waves.
3
Link the reaction to the complication.
The sentence describing the cleaning of the structure's interior to eliminate what they assumed was local interference must come next.
The pronoun 'they' and the phrase 'what they assumed was local interference' refer back to Penzias and Wilson and the constant hum introduced in the previous step.
4
Introduce the parallel context.
The sentence introducing the Princeton theorists' calculations of thermal radiation must precede the final resolution.
The phrase 'Unbeknownst to the two astronomers' functions as a transition to a separate, simultaneous storyline that explains the true nature of the hum.
5
Determine the concluding resolution.
The sentence where Penzias and Wilson share their data with the Princeton group, revealing the hum is the cosmic microwave background, is the logical conclusion.
It resolves both the technical nuisance of the astronomers and the theoretical search of the Princeton group, wrapping up the paragraph's rhetorical goal of linking the anomaly to the cosmological discovery.

Key Concept

Logical sequence and paragraph unity/cohesion using transitional words, pronouns, and narrative flow.
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Topics

Fulfilling Specific Rhetorical and Writing Goals

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