Page 73 - UKCAT 2017

Rationales and Answers to Practice Questions
Verbal Reasoning –
VR1 The Teleological Argument
VR1-1 Correct answer: D
Dawkins has used Paley’s analogy to suggest that the maker of his watch could not be blind, otherwise the making of the watch would be too difficult or impossible, and also that natural selection is blind in the sense that it does not operate towards a final goal.
VR1-2 Correct answer: A
This is supported by the passage in the first paragraph, the teleological argument has been commonly used to prove the existence of a Creator or Supreme Being.
VR1-3 Correct answer: B
This is supported by the passage in the theory of Charles Darwin: ...theory of natural selection as an explanation for the variety and complexity of living organisms. This did not presuppose a hidden designer. Therefore events are not planned, they occur by chance.
VR1-4 Correct answer: C
This is supported by the passage using Paley’s attempt to provide a scientific explanation of a designed world using Newton’s Law of Motion but failing to justify it fully when Darwin and Dawkins published books on evolution and natural selection.
VR1-5 Correct answer: A
An analogy is a form of reasoning using familiarity in which one thing is referred to as another thing, on the basis that the other thing is of similar structure. Paley’s story of the construction of a watch on the basis that it is very similar to the way the universe is constructed is a classic example of analogy.
VR1-6 Correct answer: B
This is supported by Paley’s argument in the first paragraph: He pointed to the intricate structure of living things and argued that they were so cleverly put together that some unknown designer must have made them. Using this information, it can be inferred that the similar structure means they have a similar purpose, so that the eye may take pictures like a camera.
Verbal Reasoning –
VR2 The 1737 Licensing Act
VR2-1 Correct answer: B
This is supported in paragraph 1: ‘In 1660 drama was legalised once more. It also goes on to say that the censorship of plays was a result of Royal Sponsorship, suggesting the King of 1660 was a supporter of Theatre.
VR2-2 Correct answer: C
This is supported by paragraph 1 which refers to 2 theatres in London in 1660 but no comment about number of London theatres in 1737 (paragraphs 2-3).
VR2-3 Correct answer: D
This is supported by paragraph 4: After 1788 magistrates could authorise local theatres. Many new provincial theatres were built but London theatres were still restricted to two.
VR2-4 Correct answer: A
In 1660 the king controlled criticism by sponsorship of theatres (paragraph 1) but in the 1730s the government found it necessary to take legislative and punitive action to reduce/control criticism (paragraph 2). No indication is given of why the king sponsored theatres in paragraph 1 other than control.
UKCAT Of cial Guide 2017 73
PRACTICE QUESTIONS