Biology and Universal Laws

Answer choices

1. A

   Out of Scope6% picked this

   Just as philosophers of science have traditionally been reluctant to deal with scientific phenomena that are not capable of being explained by known physical

   Out of Scope: shy away from philosophy The passage never once talked about biologists being reluctant to confront philosophical questions.

   6%
2. B

   Correct75% picked this

   While science is often considered to be concerned with universal laws, the degree to which certain biological phenomena can be understood as arising from

   Why this is right

   The main clause is, "the degree to which [biology] can be understood as arising from [universal] laws is currently in dispute". That looks super appealing, given our Present Debate framework. It's correctly identifying the central issue being debated by Determinist Biologists vs. Nondeterminist Biologists: can biology really be expressed in universal laws? The opening clause here seems like a nod to the somewhat extraneous discussion in the first paragraph, which emphasizes the traditional bias of philosophers of science that science should be the study of what is true everywhere and for all times (i.e. universal laws).

   Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

   75%
3. C

   Wrong Emphasis Opposite, if anything15% picked this

   Although biologists have long believed that the nature of their field called for a theoretical approach different from that taken by physicists, some biologists

   The main clause here is "some biologists have recently begun to emulate the methods of physicists". Since we're trying to match the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph, we'd want the main point to sound like, "some biologists have recently begun to question whether biology can really be expressed in universal laws (the way that physics is)." Since these recent biologists are pessimistic that biology can be expressed in universal laws, they are definitely not trying to emulate the methods of physicists.

   15%
4. D

   Wrong Emphasis1% picked this

   Whereas physicists have achieved a far greater degree of experimental precision than has been possible in the field of biology, the two

   The main clause here is "physics and biology employ similar theoretical approaches". That is nowhere close to what we want, which is "determinist and nondeterminist biologists are debating whether biology can really consist of universal laws".

   1%
5. E

   Wrong Emphasis2% picked this

   Since many biologists are uncomfortable with the emphasis placed by philosophers of science on the need to construct universal laws, there has been

   The main clause here is "there has been little interaction between biology and philosophy of science". That is nowhere close to what we want, which is "determinist and nondeterminist biologists are debating whether biology can really consist of universal laws". The fact that determinist biologists are allied with philosophers of science in this debate also sort of works against what this answer choice is actually saying.

   2%