False or False: The Question of Falsifiability

its

NO CHANGE This choice is the best answer because it maintains agreement between the possessive determiner "its" and the noun "theory."

remains

NO CHANGE This choice is the best answer because it maintains agreement between the singular subject "distinction" and the singular verb "remains."

hypothesis and choose

hypothesis but to choose This choice is the best answer because "but to choose" maintains parallelism with "not to choose" earlier in the sentence.

potent

influential This choice is the best answer because "influential" is the most contextually appropriate way of saying that Popper made a significant contribution to twentieth century philosophy.

static because,

static: because This choice is the best answer because it appropriately uses a colon to punctuate the break between the sentence's two independent clauses: "Statements ... static" and "because ... forward."

when he was pondering and

while he was This choice is the best answer because it offers the clearest and most concise wording.

At this point, the writer is considering adding the following sentence. Predictive power can be illustrated by examining the work of Albert Einstein, who, though born in Germany, conducted much of his scientific work in the United States after he immigrated in 1933.

No, because it digresses from the main topic of the paragraph by introducing unrelated details. This choice is the best answer because is doesn't add the sentence and provides sound reasoning: while the first part of the sentence seems relevant, it veers away from the topic of the paragraph once it introduces unrelated biographical details about Einstein.

However, many members of the scientific community may have, at least initially, misunderstood the concept of falsifiability. The writer is considering deleting the underlined sentence. Should the writer make this deletion?

No, because it introduces the misconception that the writer addresses in the rest of the paragraph. This choice is the best answer because it keeps the sentence and offers a sound reason for doing so: it provides a transition to the topic of the second part of the paragraph.

Next, he decided to make an assertion:

Through this controversial assertion, This choice is the best answer because it provides most logical transition between stating Popper's assertion of falsifiability and his new take on the scientific method.

even through Freud's psychoanalytic approach is still studied. The writer wants to provide a conclusion that reiterates a central idea of the passage. Which choice most effectively accomplishes this goal?

even if we can only approach this truth by eliminating what is false. This choice is the best answer because it effectively restates the value of falsifiability in a scientific context, providing a strong conclusion.

to

with This choice is the best answer because "inconsistent with" is accordant with the conventions of standard written English.