Some people mistakenly believe that since we do not have direct access to the distant past we cannot learn much about...

SamA on January 24, 2020

Hello @Alyona1983,

Let's break down this passage.

Based on the first sentence, the author believes that we are able to learn much about the distant past. There is one thing we can look for among the answer choices.

The second sentence tells us that modern, recently gathered data can reveal information about distant history.

The third sentence concedes that, although we can learn about distant history, modern information becomes less useful for historical events that are more distant.

Which answer choice contains these key elements?

Answer choice B does not include time as a factor. Time is a critical part of the given principle. We know that the correct answer will have something to do with history.

Answer choice C uses the word "farther" and has a concept of distance. This seems to match the passage at first glance, but C also fails to include time and history. Understanding a world view is not relevant.

Let's discuss A. Astronomers draw inferences about the past based on recently collected data. That conforms to our principle about studying the past based on modern data.

What is the difference between the early years of the solar system and the origin of the solar system? The origin of the solar system is more distant. Comparatively, it makes sense that recently collected data would be of more use to the early years than to the origin. This perfectly conforms to the third sentence of the passage.

Alyona1983 on January 25, 2020

thank you!