It's unfortunate but true that theory means one thing in everyday speech and something almost completely different in scientific communication. In everyday speech, a theory can be little more than a hunch. It is an unproven idea that may or may not have any evidence to support it. In science, meanwhile, a theory is a general set of principles, supported by evidence, that explains some aspect of

Question

nature. There is, for example, a Big Bang theory of the universe. It is a general set of principles that explains how our universe came to be and how it developed. Among its principles are that a cataclysmic explosion occurred 13-14 billion years ago; and that, after it, matter first developed in the form of gases that then coalesced into the stars we can see all around us. There are numerous facts supporting these principles, such as the current size of the universe and its average temperature.
The purpose of the paragraph is

a. to describe to the reader the difference in a theory in everyday speech and in scientific communication.
b. to explain to the reader what the Big Bang theory means.
c. to convince the reader that everyday speech and science communications have little in common.

The tone of the paragraph is
a. skeptical and subjective.
b. concerned and uncertain.
c. objective and instructive.

Answer 1

a, c