The GATE Grind

GATE 2023 CE (CE1) – Question 8

General Aptitude · Verbal Aptitude: Grammar and Vocabulary · 2 marks · Multiple choice

The James Webb telescope, recently launched in space, is giving humankind unprecedented access to the depths of time by imaging very old stars formed almost 13 billion years ago. Astrophysicists and cosmologists believe that this odyssey in space may even shed light on the existence of dark matter. Dark matter is supposed to interact only via the gravitational interaction and not through the electromagnetic-, the weak- or the strong-interaction. This may justify the epithet "dark" in dark matter.

Based on the above paragraph, which one of the following statements is FALSE?

  1. No other telescope has captured images of stars older than those captured by the James Webb telescope.
  2. People other than astrophysicists and cosmologists may also believe in the existence of dark matter.
  3. The James Webb telescope could be of use in the research on dark matter.
  4. If dark matter was known to interact via the strong-interaction, then the epithet "dark" would be justified.

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Correct answer: (D) If dark matter was known to interact via the strong-interaction, then the epithet "dark" would be justified.

Explanation

The name "dark" is justified because dark matter does not interact electromagnetically (it gives out no light). If it were known to interact through the strong interaction, that reason would not be a justification of the name, so D contradicts the passage. The other three statements are consistent with it.