▶ Your Answer :
Both
the reading passage and the lecture deal with transient lunar phenomena (TLP).
In the lecture, the speaker asserts that theories suggested in the reading are
groundless. This casts doubt on the reading’s point that there are plausible
hypotheses for the phenomena.
To
begin with, the lecturer maintains that it is not clear that clouds of lunar
gas result in transient lunar phenomena. It is a coincidence that most TLPs are
detected near lunar craters since craters are frequently observed on the
surface of the Moon. Furthermore, probe sent by NASA reported that it was
difficult to know how much gases existed in the vicinity of a lunar crater. Hence,
there may exist small amount of the gases. This counters the reading passage’s
assertion that transient lunar phenomena results from clouds of lunar gas.
Secondly,
according to the speaker, there is no evidence that clouds of dust cause the
phenomena. To make visible glows from Earth, clouds of dust should be enormous.
This is hardly supported by the fact that huge dust storm has not been occurred.
In addition, astronomers have reported that there is no large amounts of dust
particle. This is contradictory to the reading passage’s insistence that TLPs
are illuminated clouds of dust.
Lastly,
lecturer contends that it is hard to believe that solar radiation is
responsible for TLPs. According to the data gleaned from researchers, the peak
of the solar cycle is not consistent with the frequency of TLPs. Thus, there is
no correlation between solar radiation and transient lunar phenomena. This
rebuffs the reading’s claim that solar flares discharged from the Sun’s surface
is the cause of TLPs. |