#11 - Concept Reference, Parallel

[Administrator]

Please post below with any questions!

[cjj]

I chose B for this question. Why is it A?

[Emily Haney-Caron]

Hi cjj,

Here, we're looking for an answer choice that comes closest to mirroring lines 35-40. A does that: it is an example of someone who knows something so well that they don't notice the details of what is happening anymore. B, on the other hand, gives an example of something relying on human reasoning, which matches some of the logic of the passage but does not match the explanation referenced in this question. Does that make sense?

[cjj]

Yes, I see now how it could be A.
B now seems to be a half-right, half-wrong answer. And possibly also a shell game, since it discusses the mind and the passage discusses thinking.
Thanks, Emily!

[pmuffley]

Hello!

This one got me. Luckily, I did have the correct answer in my two contenders, however, I ended up choosing D. What attracted me to that answer comes from the last paragraph:

"...the psychologists suggest that we are somehow able to base our inferences about what we are thinking on internal cognitive activity that is not itself thought—e.g., fleeting and instantaneous sensations and emotions. "

A potential conflict of interest could arise on an intuitive level with judges. Therefore, they can't try cases involving family members because this intuitive sensation is not something they can control, yet it could influence their actions.

I did not chose A because "take for granted" didn't sit right with me. Was I supposed to find evidence for A in the second paragraph?

[Robert Carroll]

pmuffley,

There's no indication in answer choice (D) that the conflict of interest manifests in unconscious, or intuitive, bias. It could very well be conscious and intentional. Further, I don't really see any analog in the passage for a conflict of interest.

The last two sentences of the second paragraph provide the evidence for answer choice (A).

Robert Carroll

[miriamson07]

Hello!

This one got me. Luckily, I did have the correct answer in my two contenders, however, I ended up choosing D. What attracted me to that answer comes from the last paragraph:

"...the psychologists suggest that we are somehow able to base our inferences about what we are thinking on internal cognitive activity that is not itself thought—e.g., fleeting and instantaneous sensations and emotions. "

A potential conflict of interest could arise on an intuitive level with judges. Therefore, they can't try cases involving family members because this intuitive sensation is not something they can control, yet it could influence their actions.

I did not chose A because "take for granted" didn't sit right with me. Was I supposed to find evidence for A in the second paragraph?

As mentioned in the question asked here, the phrase "take for granted" didn't sit right with me, either. I do see that A is the best answer choice among those given. However, doesn't the phrase "take for granted" imply that the anthropologist is aware of the existence of his culture's workings? On the other hand, people do not even know that they are making inferences about their thoughts. In addition, this isn't just any detail -- it's one that's very important in this passage. Or, is it possible to interpret "take for granted" as meaning that the anthropologist isn't consciously aware of his culture's workings? If not, I wonder if it would be good for me to be ready to accept this amount of discrepancy with analogy questions.

[Jeff Wren]

Hi miriamson,

You asked:

"Or, is it possible to interpret "take for granted" as meaning that the anthropologist isn't consciously aware of his culture's workings?"

That's exactly the idea. Because the anthropologist is so familiar with his own culture, he fails to notice the workings of his culture. For example, to use a recent cultural "holiday"practice, it may not seem odd to the anthropologist (assuming he is American) that millions of Americans go shopping on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) in order to buy stuff on sale despite facing enormous crowds, traffic, and lines because that's just what many Americans do, so why question it. However, to someone from another culture, this may seem like quite odd behavior.

The definition of the expression "takes for granted" that is most relevant to this answer is "fail to properly appreciate (someone or something), especially as a result of overfamiliarity." This is exactly what the passage describes we do with our own thoughts "we become so expert in making ... inferences about our thinking that we fail to notice that we are making them" (lines 35-38).

Notice how similar the words "fail to properly appreciate" match the key words in the passage "fail to notice" (line 37). These are getting at the same general idea.

The key to answering these questions is to prephrase the general underlying explanation and find the answer that is the closest match. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be closer than the other answers.

[miriamson07]

Hi miriamson,

You asked:

"Or, is it possible to interpret "take for granted" as meaning that the anthropologist isn't consciously aware of his culture's workings?"

That's exactly the idea. Because the anthropologist is so familiar with his own culture, he fails to notice the workings of his culture. For example, to use a recent cultural "holiday"practice, it may not seem odd to the anthropologist (assuming he is American) that millions of Americans go shopping on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) in order to buy stuff on sale despite facing enormous crowds, traffic, and lines because that's just what many Americans do, so why question it. However, to someone from another culture, this may seem like quite odd behavior.

The definition of the expression "takes for granted" that is most relevant to this answer is "fail to properly appreciate (someone or something), especially as a result of overfamiliarity." This is exactly what the passage describes we do with our own thoughts "we become so expert in making ... inferences about our thinking that we fail to notice that we are making them" (lines 35-38).

Notice how similar the words "fail to properly appreciate" match the key words in the passage "fail to notice" (line 37). These are getting at the same general idea.

The key to answering these questions is to prephrase the general underlying explanation and find the answer that is the closest match. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be closer than the other answers.

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for your response. Would it be correct to say that "takes them for granted" could mean the anthropologist isn't consciously aware, but could also indicate a slightly higher level of awareness? I ask because I would think the definition "fail to properly appreciate" could mean either. Furthermore, even if "takes them for granted' did in fact mean a slightly higher level of awareness, A could still be the correct answer because like you said, the key is to "find the answer that is the closest match," and it "doesn't have to be perfect"?

[Adam Tyson]

"Takes for granted" can mean a few different things, Miriam. In this case, I think Jeff's explanation is the best one: it means fails to appreciate. It's like in a personal relationship, where one person takes the other one for granted. That doesn't mean they literally aren't aware of the other person, but just that they don't fully appreciate what that person brings to the relationship. Your partner always washes the dishes, makes the bed, does the laundry, and you don't see how big a deal that is that they are doing all that to take care of you. You see it, you know it's happening, but you accept it as normal rather than seeing how special it is.

But does it really matter if this answer means "fails to appreciate" or if it means "does not notice at all"? No, not really, because either way, this answer is still the best one, because it's the only one that's close to matching what happens when we fail to notice the inferences that we are making about our own internal mental processes. Don't get too hung up on those little details. That just makes the test harder than it needs to be. Keep it simple!