The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. compare and criticize two theories of tragedy
B. develop a new theory of tragedy
C. summarize the thematic content of tragedy
D. reject one theory of tragedy and offer another theory in its place
E. distinguish between tragedy and irony
The author states that the theories discussed in the passage “represent extreme views” (see line 6) because their conclusions are
A. unpopular
B. complex
C. paradoxical
D. contradictory
E. imaginative
The “serious problem” referred to in line 17 could be solved if which of the following were true?
A. Current assumptions about how much matter a black hole would engulf proved to be several thousand times too high.
B. Current assumptions about how much matter a black hole would engulf proved to be a few thousand times too low.
C. The object at the center of the Milky Way turned out to be far more dense than it is currently estimated to be.
D. The object at the center of the Milky Way turned out to be far more massive than it is currently estimated to be.
E. Matter being engulfed by a black hole radiated far more energy than is currently assumed.
Is there a massive black hole at the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way? The evidence is inconclusive. Just as the Sun’s mass can be determined, given knowledge of other variables, by the velocity at which its planets orbit, the mass at the center of the Milky Way can be revealed by the velocities of stars and gas orbiting the galactic center. This dynamical evidence, based on recently confirmed assumptions about the stars’ velocities, argues for an extremely compact object with a mass two to three million times the mass of our Sun. Although according to current theory this makes the mass at the center of the galaxy too dense to be anything but a black hole, the relative lack of energy radiating from the galactic center presents a serious problem. A black hole’s gravity attracts surrounding matter, which swirls around the black hole, emitting some energy as it is engulfed. Scientists believe that the amount of energy that escapes the black hole should be about 10 percent of the matter’s rest energy (the energy equivalent of its mass according to the equation E=mc2). But when the energy coming from the galactic center is compared to widely held predictions based on how much matter should be falling into a theoretical central black hole, there is a discrepancy by a factor of a few thousand.br
The “widely held predictions” mentioned in line 25 are predictions about the
A. compactness of objects whose mass is millions of times the mass of our Sun
B. velocities of stars orbiting the galactic center
C. amount of matter swirling around the object at the center of the Milky Way
D. amount of matter falling into a theoretical central black hole
E. amount of energy that should be coming from a black hole at the center of the Milky Way
The author contrasts an honest person and a criminal (see lines 19–21) primarily to
A. prove that fate cannot be external to the tragic hero
B. establish a criterion that allows a distinction to be made between irony and tragedy
C. develop the distinction between the tragic condition and the tragic process
D. introduce the concept of sin as the cause of tragic action
E. argue that the theme of omnipotent external fate is shared by comedy and tragedy
According to the passage, the dynamical evidence referred to in lines 9–10 supports which of the following?
A. Recent assumptions about the velocities of stars
B. Widely held predictions about the amount of matter a black hole will engulf
C. The existence of an extremely dense object at the center of the Milky Way
D. The contention that too much energy is coming from the mass at the Milky Way’s galactic center for that mass to be a black hole
E. The conclusion that a compact object of two to three million times the mass of our Sun is too dense to be anything but a black hole
In the author’s opinion, an act of humility in comedy is most analogous to
A. a catastrophe in tragedy
B. an ironic action in tragedy
C. a tragic hero’s pride and passion
D. a tragic hero’s aversion to sin
E. a tragic hero’s pursuit of an unusual destiny
Which of the following comparisons of the tragic with the ironic hero is best supported by information contained in the passage?
A. A tragic hero’s fate is an external condition, but an ironic hero’s fate is an internal one.
B. A tragic hero must be controlled by fate, but an ironic hero cannot be.
C. A tragic hero’s moral flaw surprises the audience, but an ironic hero’s sin does not.
D. A tragic hero and an ironic hero cannot both be virtuous figures in the same tragedy.
E. A tragic hero is usually extraordinary, but an ironic hero may be cowardly or even villainous.
The author suggests that the tragic hero’s “original destiny never quite fades out of the tragedy” (see lines 29–30) primarily to
A. qualify the assertion that the theory of tragedy as a display of external fate is inconsistent
B. introduce the discussion of the theory that tragedy is the consequence of individual sin
C. refute the theory that the tragic process is more important than the tragic condition
D. support the claim that heroism creates the splendor and exhilaration of tragedy
E. distinguish between fate as conceived in ancient Greek tragedy and fate in more recent tragedy
The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. present several theories that could account for a particular phenomenon
B. argue that a certain question needs to be reframed in light of new evidence
C. resolve an apparent inconsistency between two lines of evidence
D. explain why a certain issue remains unresolved
E. present evidence that calls into question certain assumptions of a current theory
The author objects to the theory that all tragedy exhibits the workings of external fate primarily because
A. fate in tragedies is not as important a cause of action as is the violation of a moral law
B. fate in tragedies does not appear to be something that is external to the tragic hero until after the tragic process has begun
C. the theory is based solely on an understanding of ancient Greek tragedy
D. the theory does not seem to be a plausible explanation of tragedy’s ability to exhilarate an audience
E. the theory does not seem applicable to the large number of tragedies in which the hero overcomes fate
