If my colleagues and I are right, we may soon be saying good-bye to the idea that our universe was a single fireball created in the big bang. We are exploring a new theory based on a 15-year-old notion that the universe went through a stage of inflation. During that time, the theory holds, the cosmos became exponentially large within an infinitesimal fraction of a second. At the end of this period, the universe continued its evolution according to the big bang model. As workers refined this inflationary scenario, they uncovered some surprising consequences. One of them constitutes a fundamental change in how the cosmos is seen. Recent versions of inflationary theory assert that instead of being an expanding ball of fire the universe is a huge, growing fractal. It consists of many inflating balls that produce more balls, which in turn produce more balls, ad infinitum.

Cosmologists did not arbitrarily invent this rather peculiar vision of the universe. Several workers, first in Russia and later in the U.S., proposed the inflationary hypothesis that is the basis of its foundation. We did so to solve some of the complications left by the old big bang theory. In its standard form, the big bang theory pm maintains that the universe was born about 15 billion years ago from a cosmological singularity—a state in which the temperature and density are infinitely high. Of course, one cannot really speak in physical terms about these quantities as being infinite. One usually assumes pm that the current laws of physics did not apply then. They took hold only after the density of the universe dropped below the so-called Planck density, which equals about 1094 grams per cubic centimeter.

As the universe expanded, it gradually cooled. Remnants of the primordial cosmic fire still surround us in the form of the microwave background radiation. This radiation indicates that the temperature of the universe has dropped to 2.7 kelvins. The 1965 discovery of this background radiation proved to be the crucial evidence in establishing the big bang theory as the preeminent theory of cosmology. The big bang theory also explained the abundances of hydrogen, helium, and other elements in the universe.

As investigators developed the theory, they uncovered complications. For example, the standard big bang theory, coupled with the modern theory of elementary particles, predicts the existence of many super-heavy particles carrying magnetic charge—that is, objects that have only one magnetic pole. These magnetic monopoles would have a typical mass 1016 times that of the proton, or about 0.00001 milligram. According to the standard big bang theory, monopoles should have emerged very early in the evolution of the universe and should now be as (551 abundant as protons. In that case, the mean density of matter in the universe would be about 15 orders of magnitude greater than its present value, which is about 10-29 grams per cubic centimeter.

1. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?

A. Scientists have proven the big bang theory to be inaccurate and replaced it with the concept that the universe inflated over time.
B. Because the big bang theory cannot account for the actual state of the universe, it is possible that the universe actually evolved through inflation.
C. The big bang theory cannot be discounted completely, but the inflationary theory is also plagued by inconsistencies.
D. The big bang theory is incorrect because of the absence of magnetic monopoles in the universe.
E. Cosmologists have combined the big bang theory with the inflationary theory to produce a new picture of the universe's evolution.



2. The tone of the passage can best be described as

A. largely nostalgic but also critical
B. largely concerned but also amused
C. largely indifferent but also cautious
D. largely informative but also hopeful
E. largely appreciative but also modest



3. Which one of the following best describes the organization of the passage as a whole?

A. A new theory is introduced, a reason for the proposal of that theory is generally described, and certain shortcomings of an older theory are discussed.
B. A new theory is introduced, a reason for the proposal of that theory is generally described, and an older theory is discarded.
C. A new theory is introduced, and the reasons for the discarding of an old theory are described.
D. A new theory is introduced; the evidence supporting that theory is described.
E. A new theory is introduced, criticism of that theory is considered, and the new theory is further refined.