Question

Read the following paragraph and answer the question related to it. Anaximander, in the sixth century BCE, had a theory of evolution, and maintained that men are descended from fishes. This was philosophy because it was a speculation unsupported by detailed evidence, but Darwin's theory of evolution was science, because it was based on the succession of forms of life as found in fossils, and upon the distribution of animals and plants in many parts of the world. A man might say, with enough truth to justify a joke: ‘Science is what we know and philosophy is what we don't know.’ But it should be added that philosophical speculation as to what we do not yet know has shown itself a valuable preliminary to exact scientific knowledge. The guesses of the Pythagoreans in astronomy, of Anaximander and Empedocles in biological evolution, and of Democritus as to the atomic constitution of matter, provided the men of science in later times with hypotheses which, but for the philosophers, might never have entered their heads. We may say that, on its theoretical side, philosophy consists, at least in part, in the framing of large general hypotheses which science is not yet in a position to test; but when it becomes possible to test the hypotheses they become, if verified, a part of science, and cease to count as ‘philosophy’.
Which of the following statements is/are TRUE of the paragraph above?

• A. Even though Anaximander had a theory of evolution in the sixth century BCE that seems untenable to our modern minds, the author explains how philosophical speculation is rigorous enough to have spawned scientific hypotheses that have often proved entirely plausible and empirically provable in later times.
• B. Anaximander’s philosophical speculation on evolution, as far back as the sixth century BCE, is implausible given the evidence that supports Darwin’s theory; the tone suggests the author finds such idle conjecture immaterial to actual science.
• C. Even though Anaximander had a theory of evolution in the sixth century BCE that seems untenable to our modern minds, the author explains that philosophy is often the source of the large frameworks that inform and inspire scientific imagination.
• D. Between the speculations of Pythagoreans in astronomy, Anaximander and Empedocles in biological evolution, and Democritus on the atomic constitution of matter, the author bemoans the loss of later scientific advances—though based on these conjectures—from being considered as belonging to philosophy.

Hint:

For tone/inference questions, watch for evaluative verbs (“bemoans”, “idle”). If the passage speaks neutrally or positively, options with negative tone are usually traps.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, C

The passage contrasts science (tested with evidence, e.g., Darwin) with philosophy (speculation), yet insists that philosophical speculation is a “valuable preliminary to exact scientific knowledge.” It credits philosophers (Pythagoreans, Anaximander, Empedocles, Democritus) with framing hypotheses and conceptual frameworks that later scientists test and confirm; once tested, these cease to be “philosophy” and become science. (A) True: Exactly restates the author’s point that philosophical speculation often seeds hypotheses later verified. (B) False: The author does not dismiss speculation as idle/immaterial; rather, they value it as a precursor to science. (C) True: The passage says philosophy frames large general hypotheses—the very “big frameworks” inspiring scientific imagination. (D) False: The author does not “bemoan” (no lament); they neutrally note that tested hypotheses “cease to count as philosophy.” Hence, \(\boxed{\text{A and C}}\).