LSAT 128 | Section 4 | Reading Comprehension: Q13

RC Question 13 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Which one of the following most accurately expresses …

DISCUSSION: You should look for an answer that both addresses her scientific discovery but also the widespread resistance she faced. Those are the two big themes discussed in the passage.

___________

1. This claims that Payne discovered nuclear fission. That’s untrue. Nuclear fission was discovered much later.
2. CORRECT. Payne proposed an alternative (hydrogen and helium) to the iron hypothesis, other scientists were resistant, but her theory was ultimately proven to be correct.
3. The passage never said she influenced Einstein. Also, the use of spectrographic data wasn’t new or unconventional – how she interpreted the data was.
4. This mischaracterizes Payne’s discovery. There’s no reason to believe that other scientists denied that the sun contained hydrogen and helium at all. She was the first to show that these were the dominant elements.
5. Payne’s focus was composition, not energy production.