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Question based on the following passage.This passage is adapted from Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy. ©1945 by Bertrand Russell, renewed by Edith Russell. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.To understand the views of Aristotle, as of mostGreeks, on physics, it is necessary to apprehendhis imaginative background. Every philosopher,in addition to the formal system that he offers to(5) the world, has another much simpler system ofwhich he may be quite unaware. If he is aware ofit, he probably realizes that it wont quite do; hetherefore conceals it, and sets forth something moresophisticated, which he believes because it is like(10) his crude system, but which he asks others to acceptbecause he thinks he has made it such as cannotbe disproved. The sophistication comes in by wayof refutation of refutations, but this alone will nevergive a positive result. It shows, at best, that a theory(15) may be true, not that it must be. The positive result,however little the philosopher may realize it, isdue to his imaginative preconceptions, or to whatSantayana calls “animal faith.”In relation to physics, Aristotles imaginative(20) background was very different from that of amodern student. Nowadays, students begin withmechanics, which, by its very name, suggestsmachines. They are accustomed to automobilesand airplanes; they do not, even in the dimmest(25) recesses of their subconscious imagination,think that an automobile contains some sort ofhorse inside, or that an airplane flies becauseits wings are those of a bird possessing magicalpowers. Animals have lost their importance in(30) our imaginative pictures of the world, in whichhumans stand comparatively alone as masters ofa mainly lifeless and largely subservient materialenvironment.To the ancient Greek, attempting to give(35) a scientific account of motion, the purelymechanical view hardly suggested itself,except in the case of a few men of genius suchas Democritus and Archimedes. Two sets ofphenomena seemed important: the movements(40) of animals, and the movements of the heavenlybodies. To the modern man of science, the bodyof an animal is a very elaborate machine, withan enormously complex physical and chemicalstructure. Every new discovery consists in(45) diminishing the apparent gulf between animalsand machines. To the Greek, it seemed morenatural to assimilate apparently lifeless motionsto those of animals. A child still distinguishes liveanimals from other things by the fact that animals(50) can move themselves. To many Greeks, andespecially to Aristotle, this peculiarity suggesteditself as the basis of a general theory of physics.But how about the heavenly bodies? Theydiffer from animals by the regularity of their(55) movements, but this may be only due to theirsuperior perfection. Every Greek philosopher,whatever he may have come to think in adult life,had been taught in childhood to regard the sunand moon as gods. Anaxagoras was prosecuted(60) for impiety because he thought that they werenot alive. It was natural that a philosopher whocould no longer regard the heavenly bodiesthemselves as divine should think of them asmoved by the will of a Divine Being who had a(65) Hellenic love of order and geometric simplicity.Thus the ultimate source of all movement isWill: on earth the capricious Will of humanbeings, but in heaven the unchanging Will of theSupreme Artificer.Q.In line 47, “assimilate” most nearly meansa)incorporate.b)comprehend.c)embrace.d)liken.Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? for SAT 2024 is part of SAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the SAT exam syllabus. Information about Question based on the following passage.This passage is adapted from Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy. ©1945 by Bertrand Russell, renewed by Edith Russell. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.To understand the views of Aristotle, as of mostGreeks, on physics, it is necessary to apprehendhis imaginative background. Every philosopher,in addition to the formal system that he offers to(5) the world, has another much simpler system ofwhich he may be quite unaware. If he is aware ofit, he probably realizes that it wont quite do; hetherefore conceals it, and sets forth something moresophisticated, which he believes because it is like(10) his crude system, but which he asks others to acceptbecause he thinks he has made it such as cannotbe disproved. The sophistication comes in by wayof refutation of refutations, but this alone will nevergive a positive result. It shows, at best, that a theory(15) may be true, not that it must be. The positive result,however little the philosopher may realize it, isdue to his imaginative preconceptions, or to whatSantayana calls “animal faith.”In relation to physics, Aristotles imaginative(20) background was very different from that of amodern student. Nowadays, students begin withmechanics, which, by its very name, suggestsmachines. They are accustomed to automobilesand airplanes; they do not, even in the dimmest(25) recesses of their subconscious imagination,think that an automobile contains some sort ofhorse inside, or that an airplane flies becauseits wings are those of a bird possessing magicalpowers. Animals have lost their importance in(30) our imaginative pictures of the world, in whichhumans stand comparatively alone as masters ofa mainly lifeless and largely subservient materialenvironment.To the ancient Greek, attempting to give(35) a scientific account of motion, the purelymechanical view hardly suggested itself,except in the case of a few men of genius suchas Democritus and Archimedes. Two sets ofphenomena seemed important: the movements(40) of animals, and the movements of the heavenlybodies. To the modern man of science, the bodyof an animal is a very elaborate machine, withan enormously complex physical and chemicalstructure. Every new discovery consists in(45) diminishing the apparent gulf between animalsand machines. To the Greek, it seemed morenatural to assimilate apparently lifeless motionsto those of animals. A child still distinguishes liveanimals from other things by the fact that animals(50) can move themselves. To many Greeks, andespecially to Aristotle, this peculiarity suggesteditself as the basis of a general theory of physics.But how about the heavenly bodies? Theydiffer from animals by the regularity of their(55) movements, but this may be only due to theirsuperior perfection. Every Greek philosopher,whatever he may have come to think in adult life,had been taught in childhood to regard the sunand moon as gods. Anaxagoras was prosecuted(60) for impiety because he thought that they werenot alive. It was natural that a philosopher whocould no longer regard the heavenly bodiesthemselves as divine should think of them asmoved by the will of a Divine Being who had a(65) Hellenic love of order and geometric simplicity.Thus the ultimate source of all movement isWill: on earth the capricious Will of humanbeings, but in heaven the unchanging Will of theSupreme Artificer.Q.In line 47, “assimilate” most nearly meansa)incorporate.b)comprehend.c)embrace.d)liken.Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for SAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Question based on the following passage.This passage is adapted from Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy. ©1945 by Bertrand Russell, renewed by Edith Russell. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.To understand the views of Aristotle, as of mostGreeks, on physics, it is necessary to apprehendhis imaginative background. Every philosopher,in addition to the formal system that he offers to(5) the world, has another much simpler system ofwhich he may be quite unaware. If he is aware ofit, he probably realizes that it wont quite do; hetherefore conceals it, and sets forth something moresophisticated, which he believes because it is like(10) his crude system, but which he asks others to acceptbecause he thinks he has made it such as cannotbe disproved. The sophistication comes in by wayof refutation of refutations, but this alone will nevergive a positive result. It shows, at best, that a theory(15) may be true, not that it must be. The positive result,however little the philosopher may realize it, isdue to his imaginative preconceptions, or to whatSantayana calls “animal faith.”In relation to physics, Aristotles imaginative(20) background was very different from that of amodern student. Nowadays, students begin withmechanics, which, by its very name, suggestsmachines. They are accustomed to automobilesand airplanes; they do not, even in the dimmest(25) recesses of their subconscious imagination,think that an automobile contains some sort ofhorse inside, or that an airplane flies becauseits wings are those of a bird possessing magicalpowers. Animals have lost their importance in(30) our imaginative pictures of the world, in whichhumans stand comparatively alone as masters ofa mainly lifeless and largely subservient materialenvironment.To the ancient Greek, attempting to give(35) a scientific account of motion, the purelymechanical view hardly suggested itself,except in the case of a few men of genius suchas Democritus and Archimedes. Two sets ofphenomena seemed important: the movements(40) of animals, and the movements of the heavenlybodies. To the modern man of science, the bodyof an animal is a very elaborate machine, withan enormously complex physical and chemicalstructure. Every new discovery consists in(45) diminishing the apparent gulf between animalsand machines. To the Greek, it seemed morenatural to assimilate apparently lifeless motionsto those of animals. A child still distinguishes liveanimals from other things by the fact that animals(50) can move themselves. To many Greeks, andespecially to Aristotle, this peculiarity suggesteditself as the basis of a general theory of physics.But how about the heavenly bodies? Theydiffer from animals by the regularity of their(55) movements, but this may be only due to theirsuperior perfection. Every Greek philosopher,whatever he may have come to think in adult life,had been taught in childhood to regard the sunand moon as gods. Anaxagoras was prosecuted(60) for impiety because he thought that they werenot alive. It was natural that a philosopher whocould no longer regard the heavenly bodiesthemselves as divine should think of them asmoved by the will of a Divine Being who had a(65) Hellenic love of order and geometric simplicity.Thus the ultimate source of all movement isWill: on earth the capricious Will of humanbeings, but in heaven the unchanging Will of theSupreme Artificer.Q.In line 47, “assimilate” most nearly meansa)incorporate.b)comprehend.c)embrace.d)liken.Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?.

Solutions for Question based on the following passage.This passage is adapted from Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy. ©1945 by Bertrand Russell, renewed by Edith Russell. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.To understand the views of Aristotle, as of mostGreeks, on physics, it is necessary to apprehendhis imaginative background. Every philosopher,in addition to the formal system that he offers to(5) the world, has another much simpler system ofwhich he may be quite unaware. If he is aware ofit, he probably realizes that it wont quite do; hetherefore conceals it, and sets forth something moresophisticated, which he believes because it is like(10) his crude system, but which he asks others to acceptbecause he thinks he has made it such as cannotbe disproved. The sophistication comes in by wayof refutation of refutations, but this alone will nevergive a positive result. It shows, at best, that a theory(15) may be true, not that it must be. The positive result,however little the philosopher may realize it, isdue to his imaginative preconceptions, or to whatSantayana calls “animal faith.”In relation to physics, Aristotles imaginative(20) background was very different from that of amodern student. Nowadays, students begin withmechanics, which, by its very name, suggestsmachines. They are accustomed to automobilesand airplanes; they do not, even in the dimmest(25) recesses of their subconscious imagination,think that an automobile contains some sort ofhorse inside, or that an airplane flies becauseits wings are those of a bird possessing magicalpowers. Animals have lost their importance in(30) our imaginative pictures of the world, in whichhumans stand comparatively alone as masters ofa mainly lifeless and largely subservient materialenvironment.To the ancient Greek, attempting to give(35) a scientific account of motion, the purelymechanical view hardly suggested itself,except in the case of a few men of genius suchas Democritus and Archimedes. Two sets ofphenomena seemed important: the movements(40) of animals, and the movements of the heavenlybodies. To the modern man of science, the bodyof an animal is a very elaborate machine, withan enormously complex physical and chemicalstructure. Every new discovery consists in(45) diminishing the apparent gulf between animalsand machines. To the Greek, it seemed morenatural to assimilate apparently lifeless motionsto those of animals. A child still distinguishes liveanimals from other things by the fact that animals(50) can move themselves. To many Greeks, andespecially to Aristotle, this peculiarity suggesteditself as the basis of a general theory of physics.But how about the heavenly bodies? Theydiffer from animals by the regularity of their(55) movements, but this may be only due to theirsuperior perfection. Every Greek philosopher,whatever he may have come to think in adult life,had been taught in childhood to regard the sunand moon as gods. Anaxagoras was prosecuted(60) for impiety because he thought that they werenot alive. It was natural that a philosopher whocould no longer regard the heavenly bodiesthemselves as divine should think of them asmoved by the will of a Divine Being who had a(65) Hellenic love of order and geometric simplicity.Thus the ultimate source of all movement isWill: on earth the capricious Will of humanbeings, but in heaven the unchanging Will of theSupreme Artificer.Q.In line 47, “assimilate” most nearly meansa)incorporate.b)comprehend.c)embrace.d)liken.Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for SAT. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for SAT Exam by signing up for free.

Here you can find the meaning of Question based on the following passage.This passage is adapted from Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy. ©1945 by Bertrand Russell, renewed by Edith Russell. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.To understand the views of Aristotle, as of mostGreeks, on physics, it is necessary to apprehendhis imaginative background. Every philosopher,in addition to the formal system that he offers to(5) the world, has another much simpler system ofwhich he may be quite unaware. If he is aware ofit, he probably realizes that it wont quite do; hetherefore conceals it, and sets forth something moresophisticated, which he believes because it is like(10) his crude system, but which he asks others to acceptbecause he thinks he has made it such as cannotbe disproved. The sophistication comes in by wayof refutation of refutations, but this alone will nevergive a positive result. It shows, at best, that a theory(15) may be true, not that it must be. The positive result,however little the philosopher may realize it, isdue to his imaginative preconceptions, or to whatSantayana calls “animal faith.”In relation to physics, Aristotles imaginative(20) background was very different from that of amodern student. Nowadays, students begin withmechanics, which, by its very name, suggestsmachines. They are accustomed to automobilesand airplanes; they do not, even in the dimmest(25) recesses of their subconscious imagination,think that an automobile contains some sort ofhorse inside, or that an airplane flies becauseits wings are those of a bird possessing magicalpowers. Animals have lost their importance in(30) our imaginative pictures of the world, in whichhumans stand comparatively alone as masters ofa mainly lifeless and largely subservient materialenvironment.To the ancient Greek, attempting to give(35) a scientific account of motion, the purelymechanical view hardly suggested itself,except in the case of a few men of genius suchas Democritus and Archimedes. Two sets ofphenomena seemed important: the movements(40) of animals, and the movements of the heavenlybodies. To the modern man of science, the bodyof an animal is a very elaborate machine, withan enormously complex physical and chemicalstructure. Every new discovery consists in(45) diminishing the apparent gulf between animalsand machines. To the Greek, it seemed morenatural to assimilate apparently lifeless motionsto those of animals. A child still distinguishes liveanimals from other things by the fact that animals(50) can move themselves. To many Greeks, andespecially to Aristotle, this peculiarity suggesteditself as the basis of a general theory of physics.But how about the heavenly bodies? Theydiffer from animals by the regularity of their(55) movements, but this may be only due to theirsuperior perfection. Every Greek philosopher,whatever he may have come to think in adult life,had been taught in childhood to regard the sunand moon as gods. Anaxagoras was prosecuted(60) for impiety because he thought that they werenot alive. It was natural that a philosopher whocould no longer regard the heavenly bodiesthemselves as divine should think of them asmoved by the will of a Divine Being who had a(65) Hellenic love of order and geometric simplicity.Thus the ultimate source of all movement isWill: on earth the capricious Will of humanbeings, but in heaven the unchanging Will of theSupreme Artificer.Q.In line 47, “assimilate” most nearly meansa)incorporate.b)comprehend.c)embrace.d)liken.Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of Question based on the following passage.This passage is adapted from Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy. ©1945 by Bertrand Russell, renewed by Edith Russell. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.To understand the views of Aristotle, as of mostGreeks, on physics, it is necessary to apprehendhis imaginative background. Every philosopher,in addition to the formal system that he offers to(5) the world, has another much simpler system ofwhich he may be quite unaware. If he is aware ofit, he probably realizes that it wont quite do; hetherefore conceals it, and sets forth something moresophisticated, which he believes because it is like(10) his crude system, but which he asks others to acceptbecause he thinks he has made it such as cannotbe disproved. The sophistication comes in by wayof refutation of refutations, but this alone will nevergive a positive result. It shows, at best, that a theory(15) may be true, not that it must be. The positive result,however little the philosopher may realize it, isdue to his imaginative preconceptions, or to whatSantayana calls “animal faith.”In relation to physics, Aristotles imaginative(20) background was very different from that of amodern student. Nowadays, students begin withmechanics, which, by its very name, suggestsmachines. They are accustomed to automobilesand airplanes; they do not, even in the dimmest(25) recesses of their subconscious imagination,think that an automobile contains some sort ofhorse inside, or that an airplane flies becauseits wings are those of a bird possessing magicalpowers. Animals have lost their importance in(30) our imaginative pictures of the world, in whichhumans stand comparatively alone as masters ofa mainly lifeless and largely subservient materialenvironment.To the ancient Greek, attempting to give(35) a scientific account of motion, the purelymechanical view hardly suggested itself,except in the case of a few men of genius suchas Democritus and Archimedes. Two sets ofphenomena seemed important: the movements(40) of animals, and the movements of the heavenlybodies. To the modern man of science, the bodyof an animal is a very elaborate machine, withan enormously complex physical and chemicalstructure. Every new discovery consists in(45) diminishing the apparent gulf between animalsand machines. To the Greek, it seemed morenatural to assimilate apparently lifeless motionsto those of animals. A child still distinguishes liveanimals from other things by the fact that animals(50) can move themselves. To many Greeks, andespecially to Aristotle, this peculiarity suggesteditself as the basis of a general theory of physics.But how about the heavenly bodies? Theydiffer from animals by the regularity of their(55) movements, but this may be only due to theirsuperior perfection. Every Greek philosopher,whatever he may have come to think in adult life,had been taught in childhood to regard the sunand moon as gods. Anaxagoras was prosecuted(60) for impiety because he thought that they werenot alive. It was natural that a philosopher whocould no longer regard the heavenly bodiesthemselves as divine should think of them asmoved by the will of a Divine Being who had a(65) Hellenic love of order and geometric simplicity.Thus the ultimate source of all movement isWill: on earth the capricious Will of humanbeings, but in heaven the unchanging Will of theSupreme Artificer.Q.In line 47, “assimilate” most nearly meansa)incorporate.b)comprehend.c)embrace.d)liken.Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for Question based on the following passage.This passage is adapted from Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy. ©1945 by Bertrand Russell, renewed by Edith Russell. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.To understand the views of Aristotle, as of mostGreeks, on physics, it is necessary to apprehendhis imaginative background. Every philosopher,in addition to the formal system that he offers to(5) the world, has another much simpler system ofwhich he may be quite unaware. If he is aware ofit, he probably realizes that it wont quite do; hetherefore conceals it, and sets forth something moresophisticated, which he believes because it is like(10) his crude system, but which he asks others to acceptbecause he thinks he has made it such as cannotbe disproved. The sophistication comes in by wayof refutation of refutations, but this alone will nevergive a positive result. It shows, at best, that a theory(15) may be true, not that it must be. The positive result,however little the philosopher may realize it, isdue to his imaginative preconceptions, or to whatSantayana calls “animal faith.”In relation to physics, Aristotles imaginative(20) background was very different from that of amodern student. Nowadays, students begin withmechanics, which, by its very name, suggestsmachines. They are accustomed to automobilesand airplanes; they do not, even in the dimmest(25) recesses of their subconscious imagination,think that an automobile contains some sort ofhorse inside, or that an airplane flies becauseits wings are those of a bird possessing magicalpowers. Animals have lost their importance in(30) our imaginative pictures of the world, in whichhumans stand comparatively alone as masters ofa mainly lifeless and largely subservient materialenvironment.To the ancient Greek, attempting to give(35) a scientific account of motion, the purelymechanical view hardly suggested itself,except in the case of a few men of genius suchas Democritus and Archimedes. Two sets ofphenomena seemed important: the movements(40) of animals, and the movements of the heavenlybodies. To the modern man of science, the bodyof an animal is a very elaborate machine, withan enormously complex physical and chemicalstructure. Every new discovery consists in(45) diminishing the apparent gulf between animalsand machines. To the Greek, it seemed morenatural to assimilate apparently lifeless motionsto those of animals. A child still distinguishes liveanimals from other things by the fact that animals(50) can move themselves. To many Greeks, andespecially to Aristotle, this peculiarity suggesteditself as the basis of a general theory of physics.But how about the heavenly bodies? Theydiffer from animals by the regularity of their(55) movements, but this may be only due to theirsuperior perfection. Every Greek philosopher,whatever he may have come to think in adult life,had been taught in childhood to regard the sunand moon as gods. Anaxagoras was prosecuted(60) for impiety because he thought that they werenot alive. It was natural that a philosopher whocould no longer regard the heavenly bodiesthemselves as divine should think of them asmoved by the will of a Divine Being who had a(65) Hellenic love of order and geometric simplicity.Thus the ultimate source of all movement isWill: on earth the capricious Will of humanbeings, but in heaven the unchanging Will of theSupreme Artificer.Q.In line 47, “assimilate” most nearly meansa)incorporate.b)comprehend.c)embrace.d)liken.Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of Question based on the following passage.This passage is adapted from Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy. ©1945 by Bertrand Russell, renewed by Edith Russell. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.To understand the views of Aristotle, as of mostGreeks, on physics, it is necessary to apprehendhis imaginative background. Every philosopher,in addition to the formal system that he offers to(5) the world, has another much simpler system ofwhich he may be quite unaware. If he is aware ofit, he probably realizes that it wont quite do; hetherefore conceals it, and sets forth something moresophisticated, which he believes because it is like(10) his crude system, but which he asks others to acceptbecause he thinks he has made it such as cannotbe disproved. The sophistication comes in by wayof refutation of refutations, but this alone will nevergive a positive result. It shows, at best, that a theory(15) may be true, not that it must be. The positive result,however little the philosopher may realize it, isdue to his imaginative preconceptions, or to whatSantayana calls “animal faith.”In relation to physics, Aristotles imaginative(20) background was very different from that of amodern student. Nowadays, students begin withmechanics, which, by its very name, suggestsmachines. They are accustomed to automobilesand airplanes; they do not, even in the dimmest(25) recesses of their subconscious imagination,think that an automobile contains some sort ofhorse inside, or that an airplane flies becauseits wings are those of a bird possessing magicalpowers. Animals have lost their importance in(30) our imaginative pictures of the world, in whichhumans stand comparatively alone as masters ofa mainly lifeless and largely subservient materialenvironment.To the ancient Greek, attempting to give(35) a scientific account of motion, the purelymechanical view hardly suggested itself,except in the case of a few men of genius suchas Democritus and Archimedes. Two sets ofphenomena seemed important: the movements(40) of animals, and the movements of the heavenlybodies. To the modern man of science, the bodyof an animal is a very elaborate machine, withan enormously complex physical and chemicalstructure. Every new discovery consists in(45) diminishing the apparent gulf between animalsand machines. To the Greek, it seemed morenatural to assimilate apparently lifeless motionsto those of animals. A child still distinguishes liveanimals from other things by the fact that animals(50) can move themselves. To many Greeks, andespecially to Aristotle, this peculiarity suggesteditself as the basis of a general theory of physics.But how about the heavenly bodies? Theydiffer from animals by the regularity of their(55) movements, but this may be only due to theirsuperior perfection. Every Greek philosopher,whatever he may have come to think in adult life,had been taught in childhood to regard the sunand moon as gods. Anaxagoras was prosecuted(60) for impiety because he thought that they werenot alive. It was natural that a philosopher whocould no longer regard the heavenly bodiesthemselves as divine should think of them asmoved by the will of a Divine Being who had a(65) Hellenic love of order and geometric simplicity.Thus the ultimate source of all movement isWill: on earth the capricious Will of humanbeings, but in heaven the unchanging Will of theSupreme Artificer.Q.In line 47, “assimilate” most nearly meansa)incorporate.b)comprehend.c)embrace.d)liken.Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice Question based on the following passage.This passage is adapted from Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy. ©1945 by Bertrand Russell, renewed by Edith Russell. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.To understand the views of Aristotle, as of mostGreeks, on physics, it is necessary to apprehendhis imaginative background. Every philosopher,in addition to the formal system that he offers to(5) the world, has another much simpler system ofwhich he may be quite unaware. If he is aware ofit, he probably realizes that it wont quite do; hetherefore conceals it, and sets forth something moresophisticated, which he believes because it is like(10) his crude system, but which he asks others to acceptbecause he thinks he has made it such as cannotbe disproved. The sophistication comes in by wayof refutation of refutations, but this alone will nevergive a positive result. It shows, at best, that a theory(15) may be true, not that it must be. The positive result,however little the philosopher may realize it, isdue to his imaginative preconceptions, or to whatSantayana calls “animal faith.”In relation to physics, Aristotles imaginative(20) background was very different from that of amodern student. Nowadays, students begin withmechanics, which, by its very name, suggestsmachines. They are accustomed to automobilesand airplanes; they do not, even in the dimmest(25) recesses of their subconscious imagination,think that an automobile contains some sort ofhorse inside, or that an airplane flies becauseits wings are those of a bird possessing magicalpowers. Animals have lost their importance in(30) our imaginative pictures of the world, in whichhumans stand comparatively alone as masters ofa mainly lifeless and largely subservient materialenvironment.To the ancient Greek, attempting to give(35) a scientific account of motion, the purelymechanical view hardly suggested itself,except in the case of a few men of genius suchas Democritus and Archimedes. Two sets ofphenomena seemed important: the movements(40) of animals, and the movements of the heavenlybodies. To the modern man of science, the bodyof an animal is a very elaborate machine, withan enormously complex physical and chemicalstructure. Every new discovery consists in(45) diminishing the apparent gulf between animalsand machines. To the Greek, it seemed morenatural to assimilate apparently lifeless motionsto those of animals. A child still distinguishes liveanimals from other things by the fact that animals(50) can move themselves. To many Greeks, andespecially to Aristotle, this peculiarity suggesteditself as the basis of a general theory of physics.But how about the heavenly bodies? Theydiffer from animals by the regularity of their(55) movements, but this may be only due to theirsuperior perfection. Every Greek philosopher,whatever he may have come to think in adult life,had been taught in childhood to regard the sunand moon as gods. Anaxagoras was prosecuted(60) for impiety because he thought that they werenot alive. It was natural that a philosopher whocould no longer regard the heavenly bodiesthemselves as divine should think of them asmoved by the will of a Divine Being who had a(65) Hellenic love of order and geometric simplicity.Thus the ultimate source of all movement isWill: on earth the capricious Will of humanbeings, but in heaven the unchanging Will of theSupreme Artificer.Q.In line 47, “assimilate” most nearly meansa)incorporate.b)comprehend.c)embrace.d)liken.Correct answer is option 'D'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice SAT tests.