Question

at noaas pacific marine environmental laboratory in seattle, engineers test prototypes of floating \ocean ranches\ that would shade coral reefs and pump cooler water upward during heat waves. the project is speculative and may never scale beyond small bays, yet projections of intensifying marine heat waves are so stark that the idea of some engineered buffer, however imperfect, remains ______ rather than pure science - fiction.
4 mark for review
which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
a inevitable
b realized
c extravagant
d conceivable

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the context. The project is speculative but marine heat wave projections are stark, so the engineered buffer idea is not pure science - fiction. We need a word that shows the idea is reasonable or possible.

• Option A: "inevitable" means certain to happen. The project is speculative, so the idea isn't certain, so A is wrong.
• Option B: "realized" means made real. The project may never scale, so the idea isn't realized yet, B is wrong.
• Option C: "extravagant" means excessive or wasteful. The context is about the idea's plausibility, not extravagance, C is wrong.
• Option D: "conceivable" means capable of being conceived or imagined as possible. Given the stark projections, the idea is conceivable (possible) rather than pure science - fiction.

Answer:

D. conceivable