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It cannot be denied that without creative reasoning it would not
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05 Feb 2026, 12:00
05 Feb 2026, 12:00
Expert Reply
00:00
Question Stats:
5% (01:08) correct
94% (01:09) wrong based on 18 sessions
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It cannot be denied that without creative reasoning it would not have been possible to (i) ________ of classical physics. Yet classical physics has no contribution to make to the understanding of (ii) _______ . This kind of (iii) ______ is surprisingly common in logic as well as in life.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) | Blank (iii) |
|---|---|---|
| A. dispute the value | D. creative reasoning | G. circular reasoning |
| B. lay the foundations | E. other sciences | H. inflexibility |
| C. understand the basics | F. the arts | I. symmetry |
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Re: It cannot be denied that without creative reasoning it would not
[#permalink]
08 Feb 2026, 08:50
08 Feb 2026, 08:50
Expert Reply
The correct choices are (B) lay the foundations, (D) creative reasoning, and (I) symmetry.
The Logic Breakdown
Blank (i): The sentence starts by acknowledging the necessity of "creative reasoning" for the inception of physics. You don't need creative reasoning just to "understand basics" (C) or "dispute values" (A); you need it to build the entire framework. Lay the foundations (B) fits the grand scale of creating a scientific field.
Blank (ii): The word "Yet" signals a shift or an irony. The sentence points out that while creative reasoning created physics, physics cannot explain its own creator. Since Blank (i) established that "creative reasoning" was the tool used, the irony is that physics cannot help us understand creative reasoning (D) itself. It's a closed loop where the creator is outside the laws of the creation.
Blank (iii): The sentence describes a situation where "A leads to B, but B cannot explain A." This is a balanced, mirrored relationship. In logic and science, this lack of "backwards compatibility" or mirrored utility is called a symmetry (I) (or specifically, an asymmetry that forms a symmetrical paradox). It isn't "circular reasoning" (G) because the logic isn't faulty; it's just a one-way street.
Contextual Clue: The "Creator" Paradox
This is a philosophical observation: A tool (Classical Physics) can be used to describe the universe, but it cannot be used to describe the mind that built the tool. This conceptual "oneway mirror" is the "symmetry" the author is referring to.
Why the others fail:
- (E) and (F): While physics might not explain "the arts" or "other sciences," these choices don't complete the logical irony established by the mention of "creative reasoning" in the first sentence.
- (G) Circular Reasoning: This would imply that the foundations of physics were used to prove the existence of creative reasoning, which then proved physics. That's not what the text says.
- (H) Inflexibility: This is too judgmental. The passage is making an observation about the nature of logic, not complaining about a lack of adaptivity.
The Logic Breakdown
Blank (i): The sentence starts by acknowledging the necessity of "creative reasoning" for the inception of physics. You don't need creative reasoning just to "understand basics" (C) or "dispute values" (A); you need it to build the entire framework. Lay the foundations (B) fits the grand scale of creating a scientific field.
Blank (ii): The word "Yet" signals a shift or an irony. The sentence points out that while creative reasoning created physics, physics cannot explain its own creator. Since Blank (i) established that "creative reasoning" was the tool used, the irony is that physics cannot help us understand creative reasoning (D) itself. It's a closed loop where the creator is outside the laws of the creation.
Blank (iii): The sentence describes a situation where "A leads to B, but B cannot explain A." This is a balanced, mirrored relationship. In logic and science, this lack of "backwards compatibility" or mirrored utility is called a symmetry (I) (or specifically, an asymmetry that forms a symmetrical paradox). It isn't "circular reasoning" (G) because the logic isn't faulty; it's just a one-way street.
Contextual Clue: The "Creator" Paradox
This is a philosophical observation: A tool (Classical Physics) can be used to describe the universe, but it cannot be used to describe the mind that built the tool. This conceptual "oneway mirror" is the "symmetry" the author is referring to.
Why the others fail:
- (E) and (F): While physics might not explain "the arts" or "other sciences," these choices don't complete the logical irony established by the mention of "creative reasoning" in the first sentence.
- (G) Circular Reasoning: This would imply that the foundations of physics were used to prove the existence of creative reasoning, which then proved physics. That's not what the text says.
- (H) Inflexibility: This is too judgmental. The passage is making an observation about the nature of logic, not complaining about a lack of adaptivity.
gmatclubot
Re: It cannot be denied that without creative reasoning it would not [#permalink]
08 Feb 2026, 08:50
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