PT153 S2 Q11 ExplanationUnlike other mechanical devices

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   Too Strong: no use4% picked this

   Present-day clocks are of no use in the prediction of

   The last sentence only says that "astronomical functions have diminished in importance", not totally disappeared.

   4%
2. B

   Unknown Comparison5% picked this

   The mechanisms used to predict astronomical phenomena in at least some clocks were more complicated than most more recent

   We can't compare "astronomical mechanisms" before to astronomical mechanisms now. We can compare clocks then to clocks now, but to the extent that clocks have preserved any of the astronomical mechanisms, those individual mechanisms might be the same. The clocks today might be simpler by just containing fewer mechanisms used to predict astronomical phenomena.

   5%
3. C

   Unknown Comparison4% picked this

   Clocks used only for keeping time do not differ appreciably in

   We can compare clocks from before to clocks now, but we can't say something as strong as "clocks used only to keep time are pretty much all equally complex".

   4%
4. D

   Correct83% picked this

   The mechanisms that the earliest clocks used to predict astronomical phenomena were more complicated than the mechanisms used for timekeeping functions

   Why this is right

   This seems to reinforce the story we told, that as clocks went from primarily predicting astronomical phenomena to primarily keeping time, they went from more complex to more simple. The internal logic of that progression is that it's simpler to keep time than to predict astronomical functions.

   Skill tested: Most Supported · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   83%
5. E

   Out of Scope: interest in predicting5% picked this

   Interest in predicting astronomical phenomena has declined steadily since the invention of the

   We're only learning about the evolving functions of clocks. We might be able to say that interest in having a clock predict astronomical phenomena has declined, but we can't say that overall societal/scientific interest in predicting astronomical phenomena has steadily declined.

   5%