Q5 - To the editor: In 1960, an astronomer

[like333]

Why is A wrong? It seems to me that nothing more could make him rethink his letter than if there was life on other planets.

[giladedelman]

Thanks for your question.

Read carefully! The conclusion of the argument is that "life as we know it exists only on the planet Earth" (emphasis added). So forms of life OTHER than we know it have absolutely no bearing on the argument.

(C) is correct because if suggests that life might be out there, and we just don't have the technology to find it yet.

(B) is incorrect because it only strengthens the notion that there aren't planets with life out there.

(D) might be tempting but it doesn't go into whether these particular assumptions are in fact justified, so it doesn't affect the argument either way.

(E) is out of scope; the argument is based on the fact that we haven't found any planets, not that no alien life forms have tried texting us or whatnot.

Does that clear this up for you?

[like333]

I see it now, I didn't catch it. Thanks