<p>Hi, so I just took a section out of a 2012 PSAT practice test. And i got this question wrong, but im not sure why the correct answer is correct. Here's the passage:</p>
<p>Every now and again, cosmologists decide that the
universe needs "redecorating." Sometimes they declutter,
as when Copernicus shuffled the Sun and the Earth to make
Line the planets move in straightforward orbits. Sometimes they
(5) embellish, as when Einstein decided there's more to space
than good old-fashioned nothingness and introduced the
concept of a deformable space-time. They're at it again, but
this time it's different. Like the decorator who strips away
wallpaper to reveal a crumbling wall, cosmologists are
(10) realizing that their discovery that something is speeding up
the expansion of the universe points to serious problems
with their models. When they're done fixing things,
chances are we'll hardly recognize the place.</p>
<p>(the numbers in parentheses are the line number</p>
<ol>
<li>The last sentence of the passage ("When ... place")
implies that the
(A) recent views of the cosmos are aesthetically
satisfying
(B) current cosmological methods can be
bewilderingly complex
(C) new breed of cosmologist will do unnecessary
damage to previous theoretical models
(D) contemporary astronomical theories will be
thoroughly tested by the scientific community
(E) current cosmological research will transform our
understanding of the universe</li>
</ol>
<p>I'll tell you if you have the correct answer. If I just gave it to you, you would just try to rationalize why it's correct. :)</p>
<p>Oh and here's another one. I got it right, but I'm not sure why lol. I'm only going to paste the last paragraph, because it's a long passage:</p>
<p>Passage 1 (last paragraph)
In spite of its scientific shortcomings, the view
identified with Descartes resonates well with the awe
and wonder we deservedly have for our own minds.
(35) There is no doubt that the human mind is special-special
in its immense capacity to feel pleasure and pain and to be
aware of the pain and pleasure of others; in its ability to
love and pardon; in its prodigious memory; in its ability to
symbolize and narrate; in its gift of language with syntax;
(40) in its power to understand the universe and create new
.universes; in the speed and ease with which it processes
and integrates disparate information so that problems can
be solved. But awe and wonder at the human mind are
compatible with other views of the relation between the
(45) body and the mind and do not make Descartes' views any
more correct.</p>
<p>Passage 2 (last paragraph)
Although some might see the idea that our brains are
just a bunch of molecules, grown in all the usual ways, as
a bleak renunciation of all that is special about humanity,
(80) to me it is an exciting modem take on an old idea, that
there is a bond that unifies all living things. Through
advances in molecular biology and neuroscience, we can
now understand better than ever just how deeply we share
our biological make-up-physical and mental-with all
(85) the creatures with which we share our planet.</p>
<ol>
<li>Which best describes the final sentences of Passage 1
(lines 43-46) and Passage 2 (lines 81-85), respectively?
(A) Perplexed .. resigned
(B) Cautionary .. stirring
(C) Ironic .. dismissive
(D) Reverent .. dispassionate
(E) Indignant .. surprised</li>
</ol>
<p>If you get it right, then explain it to me please :) thank you.</p>