For Question 3, why not B?



Galileo did sought to explain the origin of the star (supernova), didn't he?

Galileo explained the origin of the supernova.

The lectures not only sought to explain the origin of the “star” (some posited that perhaps it was merely “vapour near the earth”),

1) Supernovae can take over a year to fade from view.

While the explosion itself takes less than fifteen seconds, supernovae take weeks or months to fade from view; during that time, a supernova can emit an amount of energy equivalent to the amount of energy the sun is expected to radiate over its entire lifespan. Supernovae generate enough heat to create heavy elements, such as mercury, gold, and silver. Although supernovae explode frequently, few of them are visible (from Earth) to the naked eye. In 1604 in Padua, Italy, a supernova became visible, appearing as a star so bright that it was visible in daylight for more than a year.

The lectures not only sought to explain the origin of the “star” (some posited that perhaps it was merely “vapour near the earth”),

galileo said X

During these lectures he sustained something

OTHERS said a different thing

so why Q3-E: "Those who thought the supernova was “vapour” were proved wrong" is a wrong answer?

(C). As a result of the supernova in 1604, Galileo gave popular lectures in which he “sought to explain the origin of the ‘star’” and which “undermined the views” of some philosophers. Choice (A) mixed up some wording from the first paragraph to set a trap; the Earth was not made after the supernova of 1604. Choice (B) is too extreme—Galileo “sought to explain” the origin of the supernova, but it is unclear whether he succeeded. Choice (C) is true—the lectures were “widely attended by the public.” (A very picky person might point out that just because people go to a lecture doesn’t mean they are interested, but all of the other answers are definitely wrong, so that confirms that this is a reasonable—that is, very tiny—inferential leap.) Choice (D) is attractive, but is a trap answer. Galileo, in his lectures, “undermined” (weakened) the views of the philosophers. But the passage doesn’t say what the philosophers’ responses were or whether the philosophers were opposed to the lectures themselves (a person could be opposed to the ideas in a lecture but still think the lecturer should be allowed to lecture). Choice (E) is also attractive because the modern reader knows this to be true in real life. However, the question does not ask, “What really happened?” It asks: “The author mentions which of the following as a result of the supernova of 1604?” The author does not mention that the philosophers were “proved wrong.” Their views were “undermined,” which is much less extreme.

In 1604 in Padua, Italy, a supernova became visible, appearing as a star so bright that it was visible in daylight for more than a year.