Meaning of twist

[Strawberry girl]

Test No. incompl/inter-31 "Life on Mars?", question 4

This ......... in the life on Mars argument comes just when it is closest to Earth in 60.000 years.

(a) turn
(b) twist
(c) corner
(d) angle

Test No. incompl/inter-31 "Life on Mars?", answer 4

This twist in the life on Mars argument comes just when it is closest to Earth in 60.000 years.

Correct answer: (b) twist

Your answer was: incorrect
This angle in the life on Mars argument comes just when it is closest to Earth in 60.000 years.
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Hi,

What does twist mean here?

Strawberry Girl

[Alan]

Hi Strawberry,

Twist is often used to describe an unexpected or unusual end/outcome of a story or an event. You would find this in a detective story where the person thought to be innocent turns out to be the murderer.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Have a Break!

[Haihao]

Hi,

[Yankee]

Hi Haihao

People had been arguing (saying) that there was or used to be life on Mars. You could call this is the "life on Mars argument". But people didn't just say "There used to be life on Mars," they also presented theories (stories) about why they believed this -- for example, the theory that there had once been oceans on Mars. The life on Mars argument was based on information that had been previously available.

The twist refers to the unexpected new information that Mars has always been cold and icy. (See test sentences before this one.) The unexpected information has forced people to change their theory that there was life on Mars.

This change (twist) in the theory (the life on Mars argument) has arrived (come) at a time when Mars is closer to earth than it has been at any othe time in the last 60,000 years.

Hope that helps.

Amy

(Oops! A typo in the first sentence in now repaired. )

[Haihao]

Hi Amy,

It helped me ouuuut! Thank you again and have a nice weekend and,

Merry Christmas! (a little bit too early? )

Haihao

[Yankee]

.
I'm glad that clarified things.

Thanks for the Christmas wishes.
Do you celebrate Christmas or something similar?

Amy

[Haihao]

Hi Amy,

Oh, yes, we also celebrate Christmas in Japan as a yearly festival. Maybe it's not so 'festival' as US but we have Christmas sales, lights-up with Christmas trees everywhere in Tokyo or other big cities, and Christmas presents and Christmas Eve dates seem to have a special meaning for young people. As for me, since I am a Christian we celebrate Christmas at church.

haihao