In a typical Hollywood action movie, the hero skirts death to complete

In a typical Hollywood action movie, the hero
skirts death to complete a mission. Bad guys shoot,
cars explode, objects fall from the sky, but all just
miss. If any one of those things happened just a little diffe-
(5) rently, the hero would be dead. Yet the hero survives.

In some respects, the story of our universe
resembles an action movie. A slight change to any one
of the laws of physics would likely have caused some
disaster that would have disrupted the normal
(10) evolution of the universe and made life impossible.
For example, if the strong nuclear force had been
slightly stronger or weaker, stars would have forged
very little of the carbon that seems necessary to form
planets and living things. Indeed, it seems that in order
(15) for a universe to support life, the laws of physics must
be so finely tuned that the very existence of such a
universe becomes improbable.

Some cosmologists have tried to reconcile the
existence of our universe with the seeming
(20) improbability of its existence by hypothesizing that
our universe is but one of many universes within a
wider array called the multiverse. In almost all of
those universes, the laws of physics might not allow
the formation of matter as we know it and therefore
(25) of life. But given the sheer number of possibilities,
nature would have had a good chance to get the
"right" set of laws at least once.

But just how exceptional is the set of physical
laws governing our universe? The view that the laws
(30) of physics are finely tuned arises largely from the
difficulty scientists have had in identifying alternative
sets of laws that would be compatible with life.

The conventional way scientists explore whether
a particular constant of physics is finely tuned is to
(35) tweak it while leaving all other constants unaltered.
The scientists then "play the movie" of that universe
they do calculations, what-if scenarios, or computer
simulations—to see what disasters occur. But there is
no reason to tweak just one parameter at a time. By
(40) manipulating multiple constants at once, my colleague
and I have identified numerous scenarios—hypothetical
universes—where the physical laws would be very
different from our own and yet compatible with the
formation of complex structures and perhaps even
(45) some forms of intelligent life.

Fine tuning has been invoked by some cosmologists
as indirect evidence for the multiverse. Do our findings
therefore call the concept of the multiverse into
question? I do not think this is necessarily the case for
(50) two reasons. First, certain models of the birth of the
universe would lead us to expect the existence of
something like the multiverse. Secondly, the multiverse
concept may well prove to be the source of solutions
to certain other long-standing puzzles in cosmology.

1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main point of the passage?

(A) Although the universe seems finely tuned for the existence of life, there may be more sets of physical laws that would be compatible with life than commonly thought.
(B) Although the multiverse hypothesis was developed to explain the apparent fine tuning of the physical laws of our universe, it may be useful for explaining other kinds of issues in cosmology.
(C) When scientists have tried modeling
hypothetical universes by altering physical laws, they have been unable to find alternate sets of laws that are consistent with life.
(D) The improbability of life occurring in the universe supports the idea that our universe is just one of many universes in a broader multiverse.
(E) The story of our universe resembles an action movie in that, despite all of the circumstances that could have had disastrous consequences for the emergence of life, life exists.


2. It can be inferred from the passage that when the author says that scientists "play the movie" (second sentence of the fifth paragraph), the author means that they

(A) acknowledge the fictional nature of what is being described
(B) follow a theoretical chain of events to its conclusion
(C) highlight how dramatic the situation is that follows
(D) model their work on certain common archetypes
(E) play an active role in shaping the story


3. The passage suggests that the cosmologists mentioned in the third paragraph would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Our universe is affected by what occurs in other universes.
(B) The existence of multiple universes makes each universe more likely to contain life.
(C) The laws of physics must be the same in every part of the multiverse.
(D) There are enough universes to make it probable that life exists in at least one of them.
(E) There is only one universe in the multiverse that contains life.


4. The author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about the conventional way in which scientists investigate the apparent fine tuning of physical laws?

(A) It focuses on looking for outcomes that are irrelevant to the issue at hand.
(B) It is too unfocused to produce useful results.
(C) It has been conducted without concern for mathematical rigor.
(D) Its methodology results in an overly restricted set of outcomes.
(E) It will eventually produce a workable model of an alternate universe with life.


5. The final paragraph of the passage functions primarily to

(A) demonstrate the inadequacy of the view that the author is arguing against
(B) indicate the kinds of questions to which the author's research can be extended
(C) discuss the implications of the author's research
(D) consider two potential counterarguments to the author's position
(E) suggest a course of future experimentation to test the author's conclusions


6. The author's attitude toward the multiverse hypothesis can best be described as one of

(A) dismissiveness
(B) skepticism
(C) open-mindedness
(D) advocacy
(E) enthusiasm


7. If the multiverse hypothesis as discussed in the third paragraph is correct, then the story of the hero in the first paragraph would be more analogous to the story of our universe if the hero

(A) had a team of supporters working behind the scenes to make sure that the hero succeeded
(B) was actually just one of many people sent on the mission, but almost all of the others failed
(C) had developed the survival skills needed to complete the mission during a series of previous missions
(D) was actually just one of many people sent on the mission, and each person found a unique way to succeed
(E) was equipped with a map that made it possible to know where each danger lurked and how to avoid it