#11 - Concept Reference, Must Be True

[Zarie Blackburn]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (C).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):


This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[lathlee]

hi. I don't know even know how to distinguish the wrong answers and the correct one for this question. based on line 49-54 which the answer should be pinpointed from

[Claire Horan]

A prephrase for this question might be something like, "Frijda's theory doesn't account for emotions elicited from objects or events which observers know are not real." I got this not only from the last lines of the passage but also by the examples sprinkled throughout the passage, such as the snake and funeral music examples.

(A) is wrong because self-consciousness or lack of self-consciousness isn't really discussed in the passage
(B) is wrong because the author doesn't adopt Gombrich's view that emotion is either genuine or ersatz. That view is listed as one of two theories, and the author states that Frijda's ideas do not help us "untangle" (read "compare and evaluate") these theories.
(C) is correct—it best matches the prephrase and the examples in the passage, and it shows why Frijda's ideas don't help explain people's emotional reactions to art.
(D) is incorrect because Frijda's view, as explained in the passage, does not consider differences in "imaginative capacities". If you are not really sure what "imaginative capacities" are, that's because the passage doesn't discuss this topic!
(E) is incorrect because Frijda doesn't claim that "there is no distinction between real and illusory stimuli." In fact, his theory depends on there being a distinction.

[deck1134]

Hi PowerScore,

I thought that we could use "ersatz" (substitute) in this case. If it was for some reason substitute, doesn't that undermine the Frijda conclusion?

Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

Hey there Deck! "Ersatz" means not just a substitute, but one of inferior quality in some way - a cheap knock-off. Gombrich suggests that the emotions we experience in relation to aesthetic objects are that sort of pale imitation of the real thing, but that is not the problem with Frijda's explanation because the author never takes the position that Gombrich was right. In other words, the author might not think Frijda should have to distinguish between real emotions and their inferior substitutes.

Instead, per the last paragraph of the passage, the author's problem with Frijda's explanation is that it doesn't agree with Scruton's argument (and the author endorses that argument) that the person using their imagination knows they are doing so, and isn't confusing their imagination with reality.

Now I'll confess, I didn't understand much of this passage, especially that last bit. But, knowing that I was looking for a problem with Frijda's ideas about imagination told me that the answer was to be found in that last paragraph, since that is the only place we hear about Frijda's view on that subject. Since the last paragraph had nothing to do with real vs ersatz emotions, that should make elimination of answer B quick work. Start with prephrasing, which starts with finding the right source material in the passage, and you won't be led astray by answers that focus on the wrong part of the passage!