Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardSentence Reordering and Placement

Consider the following paragraph from an essay about astrophysics:

[1] In the summer of 1967, postgraduate student Jocelyn Bell Burnell began analyzing data from a radio telescope she had helped build. [2] While reviewing rolls of chart paper, she noticed a series of tiny, recurring peaks that she called "scruff." [3] These regular signals, repeating precisely every 1.33 seconds, did not match any known astronomical phenomena. [4] Her supervisor, Antony Hewish, initially dismissed the periodic fluctuations as terrestrial interference, such as passing cars or television signals. [5] Because the true nature of the cosmic clocks remained mysterious, the team jokingly labeled the source "LGM-1" for "Little Green Men."

To make the paragraph flow most logically, the sentence below should be inserted after which sentence?

"However, Bell Burnell’s meticulous testing of the receiver soon proved that the pulses were originating from far outside Earth’s atmosphere."

  1. A
    After Sentence 2
  2. B
    After Sentence 3
  3. After Sentence 4Answer
  4. D
    After Sentence 5

Answer

After Sentence 4
Placing the sentence after Sentence 4 is correct because the transition "However" establishes a direct contrast with the supervisor's claim of "terrestrial interference" in Sentence 4. Proving that the pulses came from outside Earth's atmosphere also sets up the reference to "cosmic clocks" in Sentence 5.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the target sentence for transition words and structural clues.
The target sentence starts with "However," which indicates a counter-argument, and contains the phrase "proved that the pulses were originating from far outside Earth's atmosphere."
This tells us the sentence must directly follow a claim that the pulses originated from Earth or were not celestial.
2
Scan the paragraph to locate where terrestrial theories or claims are presented.
Sentence 4 states that the supervisor dismissed the fluctuations as "terrestrial interference, such as passing cars or television signals."
The target sentence directly refutes this claim, making Sentence 4 the logical antecedent.
3
Verify the logical flow into the succeeding sentence.
Sentence 5 begins with "Because the true nature of the cosmic clocks remained mysterious..." This logically succeeds the target sentence's proof that the signals were celestial (cosmic) but still unexplained.
Ensuring the sentence fits smoothly between Sentence 4 and Sentence 5 confirms the correct placement.

Key Concept

Sentence Reordering and Placement
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Rate this question

Topics

Sentence Reordering and Placement

More questions from this topic