Q26

[jiyoonsim]

It was tricky passage...

I was pretty confused with #26, especially because of its wordings and running out of time. Here's how I studied this question, so please let me know if I'm missing anything.

Two terms to know to break this question:
Riddled basin of attraction
- General destination known
- Different point, different factors.

Sommerer & Ott:
- The whole system (everything, literally) is unpredictable.

I think I got confused by the basins of attraction and RIDDLED basins of attraction.

[noah]

You got it!

Here's Dan's write-up from the PDF attached to another post, which supports your analysis, with a bit of my own thoughts added in:

26. (C) (23-26, 38-41)
Question type: Synthesis
The differences between their system and riddled basins are described at the beginning of paragraph four.
Whereas only certain areas in a riddled basin create unpredictability, their entire system is unpredictable.
Answer choice (C) correctly represents this difference.
Note that several answer choices incorrectly associate unpredictability with chaos, though the text clearly
differentiates these terms.

(A) is contradicted - Sommerer and Ott's model has particles NOT acting chaotically.

(B) is contradicted - again, S and O's model is not showing chaos, it's showing unpredictability.

(D) is contradicted - we never learn that the water always makes its way to the same place.

(E) is similarly contradicted as (D) - we never learn that particles
will always end up in the same place.

[timsportschuetz]

This question is driving me crazy as well! The entire damn passage should be tossed out...

When I read the question stem, I am getting the following: "Sommerer and Ott's model (which IS a riddled basin of attraction based on the passage) is different from a riddled basin of attraction in which of the following ways?"

It says the same exact thing! Furthermore, how can we ever infer that a "riddled basin of attraction" is completely riddled or just partially?

I am extremely frustrated about this passage and the questions that accompany the same! The other three passages were extremely simple in my opinion and all of the questions and answers were (as usual) extremely well crafted. However, this passage makes me seriously question the quality of this particular section.

[tommywallach]

Hey Tim,

Are you kidding? I love this passage! It's a tough one, but it's totally fair. The mistake you're making is that a riddled basin of attraction is actually a physical thing that exists with WATER. But the model is about physics in general; the riddled basin of attraction is a metaphor.

This passage is tough, but there's nothing badly constructed about it!

-t

[timsportschuetz]

Oh man... I re-read some of the posts from the other night! I was obviously studying a bit too long. I really appreciate your help Tommy! I am so envious of smart people like you... I wish I could score as high on standardized tests.

[tommywallach]

Hey Tim,

Don't be silly. Of course you can! We've just been at this a long time, so we know the patterns really well. But anybody can get there!

-t