Question

lasers: the light fantastic!

1. since the early days of ancient greece, egypt, rome, china, and india, rays of light have been thought to possess mysterious, even magical powers. the ancients believed light could carry messages from the gods and that the sun was responsible for imbuing life. light, they believed, could even cure serious illnesses.
2. ordinary light is comprised of many light rays of different wavelengths, all out of step with each other. that’s why most visible light diffuses, or spreads out, from its source. you probably have experienced this if you have ever been in a darkened room and lit a candle or turned on a small light bulb. the light, in these examples, is brightest at its source. as it moves away from its point of origin, the light covers more area but it grows dimmer. people wondered if there was any way to keep the intensity of light the same as it is at its source?
3. according to the author, man has always

○ strived to capture light rays
○ invented tools to recreate light
○ believed in the power of light
○ searched for the source of light

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the first paragraph of the text: "Since the early days of ancient Greece... rays of light have been thought to possess mysterious, even magical powers... light could carry messages... imbue life... cure serious illnesses." This shows that from ancient times, people believed in the power of light. Let's check the options:

• "strived to capture light rays": The text doesn't mention capturing light rays.
• "invented tools to recreate light": No mention of inventing tools for recreating light.
• "believed in the power of light": Matches the details about light's magical/mysterious powers, carrying messages, etc.
• "searched for the source of light": The text doesn't talk about searching for the light's source.

Answer:

C. believed in the power of light