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." In the phrase "so wonderful are the **varieties of outlet** which it offers into the various departments of philosophy," the word *outlet* most nearly means:
Aretail shop
Bexit (point of departure or release)
Cavenue of approach or entry into a wider field
Dpublicly issued statement
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. avenue of approach or entry into a wider field
Faraday is making the case that the subject of the candle *opens onto* the various departments of philosophy. *Outlet* here carries its older, broader sense — a way of *issuing from* or *connecting to* — used here in the connective direction: an opening that leads from this small subject *into* a wider field. The next sentence makes the directionality explicit with "door by which you can **enter**."
- **A** (retail shop) is a modern dominant sense, irrelevant to Faraday's nineteenth-century usage.
- **B** (exit) reverses the direction of motion; Faraday is using *outlet* as a *way in*, not a *way out*.
- **D** (publicly issued statement) is a still later sense — and unconnected to *into the various departments of philosophy*.
The trick is to notice that *outlet* and *door* are being used as paired metaphors of *passage*, in the **direction of entry**.
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