Explain questions will present you with a mystery. The right answer will be the best theory to explain or resolve the mystery.
Example:
BioHome is a small research facility that supports a single person in a fully functional habitat. However, despite the stunning degree of effort to recreate a microcosm of the real world, engineers and scientists were surprised to discover that plants and other organic matter failed to grow in the same way they do in the regular atmosphere.
Which of the following, if true, best explains the surprising result described above?
(A)To be suitable for organic matter such as plants, fungi, and bacteria, oxygen must be within a very specific range, and BioHome’s oxygen was well beyond that which can be reasonably expected to support these life forms.
(B) Most of the plants housed in BioHome were from lower latitudes similar to the latitude of BioHome itself.
(C) Even though BioHome was engineered to sustain a single person, theoretically several people could fit within it.
(D) Nearly all materials used to construct the BioHome are cutting edge materials conducive to organic lifeforms.
(E) BioHome has subsequently become home to a number of plant species ranging from typical houseplants to more exotic tropical plants.
Common Question Forms
Here are some of the most common ways Explain questions are asked:
1. Which of the following, if true, best explains the apparent discrepancy outlined above?
2. Which of the following, if true, best accounts for the [mystery summarized]?
3. Which of the following does most to resolve the paradox described above?