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Litmus test may refer to: Litmus test (chemistry), used to determine the acidity of a chemical solution; Litmus test (politics), a question that seeks to find the character of a potential candidate by measuring a single indicator; The Litmus Test, a Radio 4 programme presented by Fred Harris; The Litmus Test, a 2004 album by Cut Chemist
Litmus is a water-soluble mixture of different dyes extracted from lichens. It is often absorbed onto filter paper to produce one of the oldest forms of pH indicator, used to test materials for acidity. In an acidic medium, blue litmus paper turns red, while in a basic or alkaline medium, red litmus paper turns blue. In short, it is a dye and ...
The metaphor of a litmus test has been used in American politics since the mid-twentieth century. [1] During United States presidential election campaigns, litmus tests the nominees might use are more fervently discussed when vacancies for the U.S. Supreme Court appear likely. Advocates for various social ideas or policies often wrangle ...
It is similar in use to an acid test, or a litmus test in politics. The word was introduced into literary criticism by Matthew Arnold in "Preface to the volume of 1853 poems" (1853) to denote short but distinctive passages, selected from the writings of the greatest poets, which he used to determine the relative value of passages or poems which ...
The third criterion pertains to judgment made by "reasonable persons" of the United States as a whole, while the first pertains to that of members of the local community. Due to the larger scope of the third test, it is a more ambiguous criterion than the first two. In 1981, Stewart said of coining the phrase:
A useful litmus test involves replacing each of these basic terms with an approximation of other basic terms, e.g. replacing orange with red-yellow. If the approximation is jarring, the replaced term likely meets the requirement for being a basic color term. An example of a color that comes close to being a basic color term in English is ...
In politics, a purity test is a rigid standard on a specific issue by which a politician or other figure is compared. Purity tests are established to ensure that the subject maintains ideological purity with the ideas supported by a particular group, often a political party or one specific faction of a party.
According to the post, the shopping cart is "the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing". [6] In addition to asserting that returning a cart to its designated deposit or rack is "objectively right" and widely considered appropriate, [ 7 ] the post goes on to state that returning a cart is "the apex example of ...