Question

The speed with which Oersted's pamphlet was translated and disseminated attests to:

• A. The scientific irrefutability of his "decisive observations"
• B. The general credulity of the scientific community
• C. The innovativeness of his self-publicizing methods
• D. The general acceptance of Oersted's findings
• E. European scientists' problematic linguistic diversity

Hint:

When a question asks what a particular fact "attests to," you are looking for the most logical implication of that fact. Consider why people would act in the way described. Why would journals rush to publish something? Because they believe it is important and credible.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks us to determine what the rapid publication of Oersted's work implies. We need to analyze the cause-and-effect relationship described in the passage.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The passage states: "Written in Latin, the paper was published in various journals in English, French, German, Italian and Danish during the next few weeks." Such a rapid and widespread publication across multiple countries and languages indicates that the scientific community immediately recognized the importance of the discovery and accepted its validity.
\[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{(A) The scientific irrefutability...: While the findings were accepted, "irrefutability" is a very strong word. Science works by testing and verification, not by accepting things as irrefutable upon first announcement. } \\ \bullet & \text{(B) The general credulity...: "Credulity" implies a tendency to believe things too easily, without proper evidence. This has a negative connotation and is not supported. The community likely accepted it because the experiment was simple to replicate and the results were clear. } \\ \bullet & \text{(C) The innovativeness of his... methods: While his private printing method was "uncommon," the speed of translation was a reaction to the *content* of the pamphlet, not the method of its delivery. } \\ \bullet & \text{(D) The general acceptance of Oersted's findings: This is the most accurate conclusion. Journals would not rush to translate and publish a finding unless they accepted its importance and credibility. } \\ \bullet & \text{(E) European scientists' problematic linguistic diversity: The passage shows the opposite. The linguistic diversity was quickly overcome by translation, demonstrating a connected and collaborative scientific community, not a problematic one. } \\ \end{array}\]

Step 3: Final Answer:
The swift translation and publication of the pamphlet across Europe is strong evidence that Oersted's findings were immediately recognized as significant and were generally accepted by the scientific community.