PSAT Reading Question 611: Answer and Explanation

Question: 611

According to the passage, when did the scientific consensus most likely shift from an understanding of the universe as being static to being expansive?

• A. Approximately 1800
• B. The early 1900s
• C. The late 1900s
• D. 2015

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

(B) The first paragraph describes a "static universe" as the general consensus of the 19th century in lines 9–12. Lines 13–23 then transition to a discussion of a shift in that consensus, particularly as a result of Hubble's discoveries. The author prefaces the mention of this discovery with lines 13–14, "This all changed soon after the turn of the next century." Choice (B), then, is the correct answer.