Which of the following statements about modern science best captures the theme of the passage?
Explanation:
Option 3 could be a contender but the integration of mathematics is but one part of the discussion given by the author. We need to look for an idea, a theme which pervades the entire passage. The author begins the passage with the statement, “modern science, exclusive of geometry, is a comparatively recent creation and can be said to have originated with Galileo and Newton.” With modern science, the author speaks about Einstein and sums up the passage with the last sentence as, “it is most important to understand this point and to realize that Einstein's special principle is merely an extension of the validity of the classical Newtonian principle to all classes of phenomena.” Therefore, the origin of new knowledge was existing knowledge (option 4). Options 1 and 2 do not apply here.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.