Analyze Conflicting Information in Texts Practice Test
•10 QuestionsRead the two texts about Pluto’s classification.
Text A (astronomy blog, 2019): Pluto was discovered in 1930 and was considered the ninth planet for decades. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted to redefine “planet,” and Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet because it has not cleared its orbital neighborhood. The author argues this change improved scientific accuracy, even if it disappointed the public.
Text B (opinion column, 2021): Pluto, found in 1931, was unfairly “demoted” in 2005 after a small committee changed the rules. The columnist claims Pluto meets the most important idea of a planet—being round and orbiting the Sun—and says the reclassification was driven by politics and popularity, not science.
Which disagreement is primarily factual rather than interpretive?
Read the two texts about Pluto’s classification.
Text A (astronomy blog, 2019): Pluto was discovered in 1930 and was considered the ninth planet for decades. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted to redefine “planet,” and Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet because it has not cleared its orbital neighborhood. The author argues this change improved scientific accuracy, even if it disappointed the public.
Text B (opinion column, 2021): Pluto, found in 1931, was unfairly “demoted” in 2005 after a small committee changed the rules. The columnist claims Pluto meets the most important idea of a planet—being round and orbiting the Sun—and says the reclassification was driven by politics and popularity, not science.
Which disagreement is primarily factual rather than interpretive?