LSAT 128 | Section 4 | Reading Comprehension: Q17

RC Question 17 Explanation

QUESTION TEXT: Based on the information in the passage, it can be inferred that …

DISCUSSION: The author appears quite neutral in describing the history of this scientific progress. They portray Payne’s work positively, and emphasize that she was correct all along despite facing strong resistance.

An answer that uses excessively charged language won’t be correct.

___________

1. CORRECT. The passage repeatedly states that scientists dismissed her work because of their own problems, not errors in her method.
2. Scientists misinterpreted the data but did not deliberately ignore it.
3. Lord Kelvin is mentioned, but it’s not suggested that he was solely responsible for the hypothesis’ longevity.
4. The passage doesn’t discuss scientific progress in general, only this specific case. So we don’t know what the author thinks is characteristic of how science generally operates.
5. It’s never claimed that Payne’s discovery played a direct role in accelerating nuclear fusion research.