Reading Comprehension

PT149 · S2 · P2 · Q8 The Multiverse

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In a typical Hollywood action movie, the hero skirts death to complete a mission.

Topic

The "fine-tuning" of the laws of physics in our universe, the idea of the multiverse, and recent challenges to how exceptional our universe may really be.

Framework

Challenge Position

Main Point

Although many scientists argue that our universe appears "finely tuned" to allow life and see this as evidence for the existence of a multiverse, new research (like that done by the author) suggests that alternative sets of physical laws could also allow complex structures and possibly life, so the fine-tuning argument might be overstated. (The Most Valuable Sentence: This is found at the end of the fifth paragraph.)

P1: Action Movie Analogy

The author starts by comparing the survival of a movie hero against all odds to how finely balanced the conditions in our universe seem to be—lots of things could have gone wrong, but they didn't.

P2: Fine-Tuning Problem in Physics

Just like in the movie, our universe seems unlikely; a tiny change in physical laws could have prevented life from existing. This mysterious "fine-tuning" makes the existence of our universe seem improbable.

P3: The Multiverse Hypothesis

Some cosmologists try to solve this improbability by proposing there are lots of universes (a "multiverse"), each with different laws, making it less surprising that at least one (ours) turned out just right.

The passage suggests that the cosmologists mentioned in the third paragraph would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

Our universe is affected by
Out of Scope: affected (causal)
These cosmologists weren't saying that other universes had any effect on ours. They were just saying, “if there's a zillion different universes, it makes sense that one of them could be as unlikely as ours.”
1% picked this
The existence of multiple universes
Too Strong: each is more likely
This answer would be fine if it said “makes it more likely that at least one could contain life”. The passage said that “in almost all of these universes, the laws might not allow … life”, so that does not sound like “each universe is more likely to contain life”.
4% picked this
The laws of physics must
Contradicted
Their explanation and conception of the multiverse hinges on the idea that each of these separate universes could have different laws.
3% picked this
Correct
There are enough universes to
Why this is right
This is how they're solving the riddle of “how could we have ended up with a universe that seems so unlikely”. They're saying, “if we're part of a multiverse, and each of the zillions of universes has its own laws, then it makes sense that at least one of them would have our specific combo of fine tuning.” The best supporting sentence for this is the last sentence of the 3rd paragraph: given the sheer number of possibilities, (there are enough universes) nature would have had a good chance to get the “right” set of laws at least once. (probable that life exists)
Skill tested: Non-Author Opinion · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
90% picked this
There is only one universe
Too Strong: only one
The last sentence of the 3rd paragraph practically contradicts this answer, by saying that nature would hit the “right” (life-enabling) set of laws at least once.
2% picked this

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