Entry Exam Category: College Admission Exams
Course: Accuplacer
Exam: Accuplacer Reading Full-Length Practice Test
Practice Question
Extract
In a world bound to the wheel of change, the humanities stress the persistence of unchanging issues. They do not offer the prospect of progress in knowledge as the sciences do, nor do they even offer, as do the social sciences, the promise of such progress. They raise questions about meaning, purpose, and values that a hurried world, enamored of technique, finds uncomfortable.
The author implies that the social sciences:
Answer Choices
- A: are valued for their techniques
- B: can make no contribution to progress
- C: cannot deal with long-term issues
- D: may someday add to the world's knowledge
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The author contrasts the humanities with the sciences and social sciences, stating that the sciences offer progress in knowledge, and the social sciences promise such progress. This implies that the social sciences are oriented toward progress and may eventually contribute to the world's knowledge, even if they don’t currently achieve the same level of certainty as the natural sciences. Therefore, D is the best interpretation of the author's implication.