Question

In 1964, British physicist Peter Higgs proposed that a field permeates the universe, giving particles mass, a theory known as the Higgs boson. For nearly 50 years, this particle remained purely theoretical, as it was believed to be too unstable and elusive to isolate. In 2012, researchers at the CERN Large Hadron Collider reported identifying a new particle with a mass consistent with predictions, produced by smashing protons together at near-light speed. The data, matching predicted decay patterns, confirmed the existence of the Higgs mechanism.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A) Particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider are inefficient at producing new particles.
B) The 2012 detection of the Higgs boson provided critical validation for a long-held theoretical model of particle physics.
C) Peter Higgs spent over 50 years working at CERN to prove his own theory.
D) The Higgs boson is the only particle that gives mass to other particles in the universe.

Answer 1

B) The 2012 detection of the Higgs boson provided critical validation for a long-held theoretical model of particle physics.

Reason: The passage describes Higgs's 1964 proposal and how the 2012 CERN/LHC discovery confirmed the predicted particle and decay patterns. Choices A, C, and D are inaccurate or unsupported by the text.