To solve this question, we need to find what assumption Cassini's data went against. Look for statements about what people used to think vs what Cassini discovered. The key is in paragraph 2 - it tells us the old assumption, then explains how Cassini challenged it. From passage: "By and large the big things in the solar system planets and moons are thought of as having been around since the beginning. The suggestion that rings and moons are new is, though, made even more interesting..." **Thought Process:** Old assumption -> big things in solar system existed since beginning Cassini's discovery -> rings and moons are actually young (200-70 million years old) Therefore -> Cassini challenged the "since beginning" assumption

**Option Analysis:** 🟠 **Option 1** -> scope-error -> focuses on life/Earth timing, but that's not the main assumption Cassini challenged. The passage mentions dinosaur timing just as a comparison, not as the core assumption. 🔴 **Option 2** -> contradiction -> Cassini actually supports this idea! The passage explains how old moons destroyed themselves to form new rings and moons. This isn't what was challenged. 🟢 **Option 3** -> correct -> perfectly matches the assumption stated in paragraph 2. Cassini showed that rings and moons are young, directly challenging the idea that all big solar system objects existed "since the beginning." 🟠 **Option 4** -> opposite -> Cassini confirmed this fact (rings are 90%+ water ice), didn't challenge it. This was a discovery, not a challenge to an assumption. The confusion might be between Options 1 and 3, but Option 1 focuses on a side detail about timing, while Option 3 addresses the core assumption the entire passage discusses.

CAT (VARC) PYQs

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