Passage (Michael Faraday, *The Chemical History of a Candle*, Lecture I, 1860–61): "I purpose, in return for the honour you do us by coming to see what are our proceedings here, to bring before you, in the course of these lectures, the Chemical History of a Candle. I have taken this subject on a former occasion; and were it left to my own will, I should prefer to repeat it almost every year — so abundant is the interest that attaches itself to the subject, so wonderful are the varieties of outlet which it offers into the various departments of philosophy. There is not a law under which any part of this universe is governed which does not come into play, and is touched upon in these phenomena. There is no better, there is no more open door by which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy, than by considering the physical phenomena of a candle. And before proceeding, let me say this also — that though our subject be so great, and our intention that of treating it honestly, seriously, and philosophically, yet I mean to pass away from all those who are seniors amongst us. I claim the privilege of speaking to juveniles as a juvenile myself." Which of the following best states the lecturer's main claim in the passage?
AThe chemistry of candles is too narrow a subject to introduce general principles of science.
BThe study of the candle, modest as it appears, opens onto the full range of natural philosophy.
CThe lecturer prefers to speak to senior scientists rather than to young listeners.
DCandles are rarely discussed in chemistry textbooks of the period.
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. The study of the candle, modest as it appears, opens onto the full range of natural philosophy.
Faraday's defence of his subject runs through the entire first paragraph: "so wonderful are the varieties of outlet which it offers into the various departments of philosophy," "there is not a law under which any part of this universe is governed which does not come into play," and finally "no better, no more open door by which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy." The passage's whole purpose is to make a small object look like a generous entry into the whole of physical science.
- **A** is the *opposite* of what Faraday claims.
- **C** misreads the second paragraph — Faraday is *passing away from* senior listeners, i.e. **not** addressing them, in order to speak to juveniles.
- **D** is an empirical claim the passage neither makes nor implies.
Related questions
An argument states 'the village bus service is unreliable, so it should be banned'. The unA 'strengthen' CR question asks which option, if true, would:In a GMAT Critical Reasoning question, the FIRST step to take is:In formal GMAT register, which idiom is correct? 'Her findings are _____ those of the earlWhich uses correct parallel structure? 'On weekends she enjoys _____.'Choose the option with correct subject-verb agreement: 'The collection of old coins _____ On GMAT Sentence Correction, the recommended elimination strategy is to:In a GMAT Sentence Correction question, option (A) ALWAYS represents: