Question 205
HardOriginal questionThere are only a few places in the solar system where scientists think life beyond the Earth might possibly be found. One of them is Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.
At first sight it seems an choice. Europa is a long way from the Sun, more than five times as far as the Earth is, and it is cold. It is also small, a little smaller than our own Moon. Its surface is frozen so hard that, where you could break the Earth's winter ice with an ice pick, on Europa you would need a .
What makes Europa interesting is water. Water is one of the key for life, and scientists think Europa has a great deal of it, perhaps more than twice as much as the Earth. On the surface it is solid ice. Beneath that frozen , however, many scientists believe there may be a deep ocean of liquid water.
Nobody knows whether anything lives there. But a moon with a hidden ocean is exactly the kind of place scientists want to explore when they ask whether we are alone in the universe.
In the last paragraph, what is the writer's attitude towards the possibility of life on Europa?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The writer says plainly "Nobody knows whether anything lives there", but calls Europa "exactly the kind of place scientists want to explore".
The tone is careful but curious.
Worth noting
The first sentence of the paragraph rules out certainty in either direction.
- Concept
- Identifying a writer's careful attitude
- Typical timeTypical
- 55 s
- Your timeYours
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