A contemporary of Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and Wolfgang Pauli, all giants in the field of physics, Lise Meitner was an Austrian-born physicist who pursued her passion despite, as a woman, being barred from attending college. Meitner studied privately until she was finally admitted to the University of Vienna and earned her doctoral degree. She worked with chemist Otto Hahn who appreciated her insights into the physics of nuclear fission. Hahn and his associate, Fritz Strassmann, published the seminal paper that documented the first known event of nuclear fission, for which Hahn would win the Nobel Prize. In an essay, a student asserts that it was Meitner's contribution to Hahn's research that enabled him to win this prestigious award.
Which quotation from a scholarly review of Meitner's legacy best supports the student's claim?
Correct
Incorrect
The question requires support for the student's claim, so skim the text to identify it. In the last sentence, the keyword "asserts" starts the claim, so read this sentence carefully: someone named Hahn won a "prestigious award" due to the work of someone named Meitner. Keep this idea in mind as you read the text from the beginning for context. The first two sentences introduce Meitner, a female physicist. The next sentence introduces Hahn, a chemist with whom Meitner worked. The fourth sentence describes the "prestigious award": Hahn won the Nobel physics prize for his work in nuclear fission. Putting these pieces together, expect that the correct answer will describe Meitner doing something that contributed to Hahn's work with nuclear fission. Now you're ready to work through the choices by elimination.
Eliminate (A); it describes difficult conditions under which Meitner worked, but not any of her contributions. Eliminate (B); it describes some issues with Hahn's work, but does not mention Meitner. Eliminate (C); it mentions Meitner was also considered for a Nobel prize, but does not connect her work to Hahn's. Choice (D) is correct; it describes Meitner's important contribution, "the theoretical basis of nuclear fission" to Hahn's work.
