It can be surmised from the passage that:
Show Hint
- Oersted worked at a cautious remove from the scientific community
- Latin was a commonly-known European language in the early nineteenth century
- Compass needles and voltaic cells were relatively inexpensive at the time
- Other scientists approached Oersted's findings, but with insufficient voltage
- Oersted was strongly influenced by philosophy as well as by physics
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks what can be "surmised," which is another word for inferred. We need to find the conclusion that is most logically supported by the details provided in the text.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze the support for each option within the passage.
\[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{(A) Oersted worked at a cautious remove...: This is contradicted by his action of sending the pamphlet to "learned societies and outstanding scientists all over Europe." This shows he was engaged with the community, not removed from it. } \\ \bullet & \text{(B) Latin was a commonly-known European language...: Oersted chose to write his four-page pamphlet, intended for simultaneous distribution across Europe, in Latin. The purpose of this choice would be to ensure that the widest possible audience of "outstanding scientists" could immediately understand it, before it was translated into local languages. This strongly implies that Latin served as a common language of science and scholarship at the time. } \\ \bullet & \text{(C) Compass needles and voltaic cells were relatively inexpensive...: The passage states compass needles were a "basic component" and that voltaic cells were in wide "use," but this doesn't provide any information about their cost. } \\ \bullet & \text{(D) Other scientists approached Oersted's findings, but with insufficient voltage: The passage mentions Oersted's comment about the apparatus needing to be strong, but states that this "does not excuse the twenty-year delay," implying that other scientists did have sufficiently powerful equipment. } \\ \bullet & \text{(E) Oersted was strongly influenced by philosophy as well as by physics: The passage calls him a "natural philosopher," a term of the era for a scientist. While this implies a connection, it doesn't give enough information to surmise he was "strongly influenced" by philosophy in particular, distinct from his scientific work. Option (B) is more directly and strongly supported by his specific actions. } \\ \end{array}\]
Step 3: Final Answer:
The most logical surmise is based on Oersted's strategic choice to write his pan-European pamphlet in Latin. This action only makes sense if Latin was a lingua franca among the educated scientists of that era.
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