Last visit was: 21 Nov 2024, 07:22 It is currently 21 Nov 2024, 07:22
Decision Tracker
My Rewards
New comers' posts
New posts
Unanswered

Close

GRE Prep Club Daily Prep

Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GRE score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.

Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close

Request Expert Reply

Confirm Cancel
PREVIOUS TOPIC
NEXT TOPIC

Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire

SORT BY:
Date
Kudos
Tags :
Find Similar Topics  About  Add a Tag

Show Tags
Hide Tags

User avatar
soumya1989
Director
Director
Joined: 16 May 2014
Posts: 592
Own Kudos [?]: 2047 [5]
Given Kudos: 0
GRE 1: Q165 V161
Send PM
Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   16 Feb 2016, 00:31
2
Expert Reply
3
Bookmarks
Question 1
00:00

Question Stats:

43% (01:41) correct 57% (02:02) wrong based on 119 sessions

Hide Show timer Statistics

Question 2
00:00

Question Stats:

0% (00:00) correct 0% (00:00) wrong based on 0 sessions

Hide Show timer Statistics

Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire in 1738, was an early attempt to popularize the scientific ideas of Isaac Newton. In the book’s frontispiece, Voltaire is seen writing at his desk, and over him a shaft of light from heaven, the light of truth, passes through Newton to Voltaire’s collaborator Madame du Châtelet; she reflects that light onto the inspired Voltaire. Voltaire’s book commanded a wide audience, according to Feingold, because “he was neither a mathematician nor a physicist, but a literary giant aloof from the academic disputes over Newtonian ideas.” In other words, Voltaire’s amateurism in science “was a source of his contemporary appeal, demonstrating for the first time the accessibility of Newton’s ideas to nonspecialists.”

Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.


8. Which of the following statements about Voltaire’s Elements of the Philosophy of Newton can be inferred from the passage?

A. Voltaire’s literary stature helped secure a large audience for this attempt to popularize Newton’s ideas.
B. Voltaire’s status as a nonscientist was an advantage in this effort to bring Newtonian science to the attention of the general public.
C. The frontispiece of the book implies that Voltaire’s understanding of Newton’s ideas was not achieved without assistance.

Show: :: OA
A,B,C


9. Select the sentence that describes an allegory for Voltaire’s acquisition of
knowledge concerning Newton’s ideas.

Show: :: OA
sentence 2 (“In the book’s . . . Voltaire”) is the correct choice.



Practice Test Questions
Question: 8-9
Page: 323
ShowHide Answer Question #1
Official Answer
A,B,C
User avatar
soumya1989
Director
Director
Joined: 16 May 2014
Posts: 592
Own Kudos [?]: 2047 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
GRE 1: Q165 V161
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   16 Feb 2016, 00:33
2
Expert Reply

Explanation:


8. All three choices are correct.
Choice A is correct: the paragraph states that one of the reasons Voltaire’s book commanded a wide audience is that he was “a literary giant.” Choice B is correct: the paragraph states that Voltaire’s amateurism in science demonstrated that nonspecialists could also understand Newton’s ideas. Choice C is correct: the paragraph refers to Voltaire’s collaborator, Madame du Châtelet. In the image described, she serves as the intermediary between Newton and Voltaire, conveying Newton’s ideas to Voltaire.

9. In the image described in the second sentence, Voltaire acquires his knowledge of Newton through Madame du Châtelet, who conveys Newton’s ideas — his “light of truth” —
to Voltaire. The only other sentence that contains figurative language is the next sentence, in which Voltaire is described as “a literary giant aloof . . . from disputes.” However,
this image refers not to Voltaire’s acquisition of knowledge of Newtonian ideas, but rather to his attitude regarding Newtonian ideas. Therefore sentence 2 (“In the
book’s . . . Voltaire”) is the correct choice.
avatar
Pratap325
Intern
Intern
Joined: 23 Sep 2017
Posts: 46
Own Kudos [?]: 15 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   25 Feb 2018, 23:04
What does allegory mean ?
avatar
LamYum
Intern
Intern
Joined: 21 Jul 2019
Posts: 4
Own Kudos [?]: 10 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   12 Aug 2019, 23:35
1
Pratap325 wrote:
What does allegory mean ?


noun: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
avatar
Flashinthepan
Manager
Manager
Joined: 14 Apr 2020
Posts: 163
Own Kudos [?]: 66 [0]
Given Kudos: 15
GRE 1: Q165 V157

GRE 2: Q165 V156

GRE 3: Q166 V159
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   27 Apr 2020, 14:11
Man , there is a very thin line between A&B and fell in to the trap , crossed off B while finally selecting.

Both of them says that the Voltaire's status has been responsible for his success of the book. However , the success was due to literature and not just a non-scientist , I mean anybody could write a book being a non-scientis on a scientist but would that be an over-night success?
That's why I crossed off B, what do you think?
User avatar
theBrahmaTiger
Retired Moderator
Joined: 03 Dec 2019
Posts: 348
Own Kudos [?]: 955 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   27 Apr 2020, 14:36
Flashinthepan wrote:
Man , there is a very thin line between A&B and fell in to the trap , crossed off B while finally selecting.

Both of them says that the Voltaire's status has been responsible for his success of the book. However , the success was due to literature and not just a non-scientist , I mean anybody could write a book being a non-scientis on a scientist but would that be an over-night success?
That's why I crossed off B, what do you think?


I believe the last sentence of the passage was a deal-breaker in selection B.

"Voltaire’s amateurism in science “was a source of his contemporary appeal, demonstrating for the first time the accessibility of Newton’s ideas to nonspecialists."

It is implied that because of Voltaire's aloofness, he appealed to laymen and thus promoted Newton's ideas to the general public.
avatar
Zohair123
Manager
Manager
Joined: 04 Apr 2020
Posts: 90
Own Kudos [?]: 82 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   28 Apr 2020, 23:35
Quote:
The frontispiece of the book implies that Voltaire’s understanding of Newton’s ideas was not achieved without assistance.

Where is it mentioned that he seeked the help of a collaborator in understanding Newton's ideas? The allegory only alludes to the fact that she was a mediator, but is that enough for us to translate it into "he seeked external help to understand Newton's ideas?" I crossed off C because we are not supposed to use outside knowledge or common sense but only take information from the passage, and it doesn't mention anywhere in the passage that he needed her to understand Newton's ideas, perhaps she was there for another purpose, like translation or sorting work?
User avatar
theBrahmaTiger
Retired Moderator
Joined: 03 Dec 2019
Posts: 348
Own Kudos [?]: 955 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   29 Apr 2020, 12:32
Zohair123 wrote:
Quote:
The frontispiece of the book implies that Voltaire’s understanding of Newton’s ideas was not achieved without assistance.

Where is it mentioned that he seeked the help of a collaborator in understanding Newton's ideas? The allegory only alludes to the fact that she was a mediator, but is that enough for us to translate it into "he seeked external help to understand Newton's ideas?" I crossed off C because we are not supposed to use outside knowledge or common sense but only take information from the passage, and it doesn't mention anywhere in the passage that he needed her to understand Newton's ideas, perhaps she was there for another purpose, like translation or sorting work?



"she reflects that light onto the inspired Voltaire", so based on this, yes, it is enough to infer this. In the frontpiece, Voltaire would not have enlightened with Newton's ideas if it wasn't for her.
avatar
donny
Intern
Intern
Joined: 01 Jan 2021
Posts: 4
Own Kudos [?]: 1 [1]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   08 Jan 2021, 23:49
1
Zohair123 wrote:
Quote:
The frontispiece of the book implies that Voltaire’s understanding of Newton’s ideas was not achieved without assistance.

Where is it mentioned that he seeked the help of a collaborator in understanding Newton's ideas? The allegory only alludes to the fact that she was a mediator, but is that enough for us to translate it into "he seeked external help to understand Newton's ideas?" I crossed off C because we are not supposed to use outside knowledge or common sense but only take information from the passage, and it doesn't mention anywhere in the passage that he needed her to understand Newton's ideas, perhaps she was there for another purpose, like translation or sorting work?


I agree with you. Shining a light for someone does not seem close enough to helping someone understanding physics theories.
I can link up Voltaire with Newton and finance the biography without knowing a thing about physics, but perhaps be convinced that physics is beneficial to the world.
avatar
Batsy
Intern
Intern
Joined: 09 Jan 2021
Posts: 2
Own Kudos [?]: 0 [0]
Given Kudos: 24
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   10 Jan 2021, 07:02
wide audience means broad range of audience and it doesnt mean large umber of audience..So option A is incorrect.
Can someone clarify
avatar
ChandanPednekar
Intern
Intern
Joined: 06 Jan 2022
Posts: 6
Own Kudos [?]: 3 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   21 Mar 2022, 07:00
soumya1989 wrote:

Explanation:


Choice B is correct: the paragraph states that Voltaire’s amateurism in science demonstrated that nonspecialists could also understand Newton’s ideas. Choice C is correct: the paragraph refers to Voltaire’s collaborator, Madame du Châtelet. In the image described, she serves as the intermediary between Newton and Voltaire, conveying Newton’s ideas to Voltaire.


I didn't select B and then saw answer key has all 3 choices. This is how I interpreted the passage

- Voltaire was a big fan of Newton
- Book front drawing shows flow of facts as -> Newton -> Madame du Châtelet -> Voltaire
- Voltaire was not a scientific person (i.e. he didn't understand Newton's ideas) but a big time literary guy, was famous. This allowed him a big audience.
- Voltaire was amateur.

I interpreted the following as author's sarcasm towards Voltaire. Thought author meant that Voltaire was a non-specialist who believed that he understood
Newton's ideas when he actually didn't.
"was a source of his contemporary appeal, demonstrating for the first time the accessibility of Newton’s ideas to nonspecialists."

How do I protect myself against such mistakes?
User avatar
D
Carcass
Verbal Expert
Joined: 18 Apr 2015
Posts: 29999
Own Kudos [?]: 36332 [0]
Given Kudos: 25923
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   21 Mar 2022, 10:08
Expert Reply
ChandanPednekar wrote:
soumya1989 wrote:

Explanation:


Choice B is correct: the paragraph states that Voltaire’s amateurism in science demonstrated that nonspecialists could also understand Newton’s ideas. Choice C is correct: the paragraph refers to Voltaire’s collaborator, Madame du Châtelet. In the image described, she serves as the intermediary between Newton and Voltaire, conveying Newton’s ideas to Voltaire.


I didn't select B and then saw answer key has all 3 choices. This is how I interpreted the passage

- Voltaire was a big fan of Newton
- Book front drawing shows flow of facts as -> Newton -> Madame du Châtelet -> Voltaire
- Voltaire was not a scientific person (i.e. he didn't understand Newton's ideas) but a big time literary guy, was famous. This allowed him a big audience.
- Voltaire was amateur.

I interpreted the following as author's sarcasm towards Voltaire. Thought author meant that Voltaire was a non-specialist who believed that he understood
Newton's ideas when he actually didn't.
"was a source of his contemporary appeal, demonstrating for the first time the accessibility of Newton’s ideas to nonspecialists."

How do I protect myself against such mistakes?



Hi sir

Did you read my guide https://gre.myprepclub.com/forum/gre-readi ... 20658.html

plus tips https://gre.myprepclub.com/forum/reading-c ... 27170.html

Please let me know if need an explanation for the Ii question.

Happy to help

Regards
avatar
Kerensky
Intern
Intern
Joined: 08 Sep 2022
Posts: 3
Own Kudos [?]: 0 [0]
Given Kudos: 2
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   26 Sep 2022, 15:38
donny wrote:
Zohair123 wrote:
Quote:
The frontispiece of the book implies that Voltaire’s understanding of Newton’s ideas was not achieved without assistance.

Where is it mentioned that he seeked the help of a collaborator in understanding Newton's ideas? The allegory only alludes to the fact that she was a mediator, but is that enough for us to translate it into "he seeked external help to understand Newton's ideas?" I crossed off C because we are not supposed to use outside knowledge or common sense but only take information from the passage, and it doesn't mention anywhere in the passage that he needed her to understand Newton's ideas, perhaps she was there for another purpose, like translation or sorting work?


I agree with you. Shining a light for someone does not seem close enough to helping someone understanding physics theories.
I can link up Voltaire with Newton and finance the biography without knowing a thing about physics, but perhaps be convinced that physics is beneficial to the world.



I so agree!
GRE has the whole thing about not making assumptions when it's not mentioned in the text, so I tried to not make any assumptions. So I tried to think of a situation that fulfils the context but doesn't necessarily mean that it was the understanding of Newton's ideas that Madame assisted with.

And I think if she were to recommend or introduce the book to Voltaire and someone else were to assist Voltaire with understanding, it would still make sense with the frontispiece and the truth of light.

Am I using the wrong tactic here?
User avatar
D
Carcass
Verbal Expert
Joined: 18 Apr 2015
Posts: 29999
Own Kudos [?]: 36332 [0]
Given Kudos: 25923
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   26 Sep 2022, 20:38
Expert Reply
In the inference questions as above, the correct strategy is just to read carefully and make the right inference.

Any other information from the real and outside world should be avoided

That is correct!
avatar
G
Midhilesh489
Manager
Manager
Joined: 16 Dec 2019
Posts: 190
Own Kudos [?]: 132 [0]
Given Kudos: 59
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   23 May 2023, 18:54
For question 1, it was mentioned as non-scientist but in the passage its given "not a mathematician and not a physicist". Didn't mention about non-scientist. In last sentence "amateurism in science" doesn't mean he's not a scientist, is it?
Carcass
User avatar
D
Carcass
Verbal Expert
Joined: 18 Apr 2015
Posts: 29999
Own Kudos [?]: 36332 [0]
Given Kudos: 25923
Send PM
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink] New post   24 May 2023, 03:27
Expert Reply
Frankly speaking what you mean is difficult to grasp

In the 1st question is asked

Voltaire’s status as a nonscientist was an advantage in this effort to bring Newtonian science to the attention of the general public.

This means that Voltaire was NOT a scientist in the strict form but just an amateur. In other words, he was not a scholar. However, its role is essential because he created a link or made a connection from the purist world in which Newton's ideas was the norm (the field of studies, or the academic world) to a much more vast audience composed by NOR experts or connoisseurs
Prep Club for GRE Bot
gmatclubot
Re: Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire [#permalink]
24 May 2023, 03:27
Moderators:
bronaugust
GRE Forum Moderator
37 posts
VibhuAnurag
GRE Instructor
234 posts
HarishKumar
GRE Instructor
1065 posts

Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group | Emoji artwork provided by EmojiOne

Main navigation

Partners

GRE Resources

www.ets.org/gre | About | Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy | Prep Club for GRE Rules | Contact