Explanation
Correct answer: B.
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the relationship between Martian meteorites and Mars’s interior geology. In this context, “proxies for” means substitutes used to represent something else. The text describes Udry and colleagues as cautioning against a tempting line of reasoning: because the isotopic signatures (chemical fingerprints) of elements in Mars’s atmosphere resemble those in Martian meteorites recovered on Earth, researchers might be inclined to treat the meteorites’ geochemical properties as reasonably standing in for those of Mars’s interiors. The text indicates that Udry and colleagues argue against this reasoning, noting that Mars’s geology cannot be determined solely from meteorite analysis. This context conveys that it is tempting to treat the meteorites’ properties as proxies for those of Mars’s interiors.
Why the other choices are wrong
Choice A
Choice A is incorrect because “contrivances of” would mean things artificially devised or produced by something, and it wouldn’t make sense to say that it’s tempting to treat the geochemical properties of meteorites as having been artificially produced by the planet the meteorites came from; it’s not clear how a planet could fabricate such properties. Further, the text is focused on the idea that it’s tempting to treat the meteorites’ properties as standing in for those of Mars’s interiors, which likely wouldn’t be the case if the meteorite’s properties were considered artificial in any way.
Choice C
Choice C is incorrect because “catalysts of” something are things that trigger or accelerate its change or action. The text focuses on the idea of analyzing samples of Martian meteorites found on Earth to determine Mars’s geology; this suggests that the temptation is to view the geochemical properties of the meteorites as direct evidence of those of Mars’s interior, not to treat them as though they had caused changes in Mars’s interior geology.
Choice D
Choice D is incorrect because “deterrents to” something would mean things that discourage or prevent it, and it wouldn’t make sense to say that it’s tempting to treat the geochemical properties of Martian meteorites as preventing the geochemical properties of Mars’s interiors; the meteorites came from Mars and are no longer there, so their properties can’t have any effect on those of the planet.
Student discussion
marcosat 0 likes
Proxies -> substitutues Contrivances -> contrived I guess (overly planned or artificial) catalysts -> trigger detterents -> to deter something keep it away