#19 - Passage Comparison

[bli2016]

Hi, I chose E and was wondering why B is the better answer choice. I chose E because passage B mentions that "recent research... calls into question..." (lines 59-60), implying that there are still unanswered research questions. I thought B was odd because it focused on those writing about the topic and not everyone generally holding the opinion that human language and animal language are fundamentally different. Would appreciate some help in this! Thanks

[Adam Tyson]

Hey there bli2016, thanks for your question. Here are my thoughts.

Answer E talks about the author of passage B's "refusal to commit" to a particular position. That's pretty strong language. Does he truly refuse to commit? Is he all that circumspect? I don't think so. That sounds like someone who is playing hard to get, dancing around the issues without taking any clear stand. But author B does take a stand, and it's against the position he describes earlier as circular (and thus flawed). He tells us that recent research narrows the perceived gap between animal and human communication, and that sounds more like an endorsement of a particular view than a refusal to commit to any view.

The disapproval mentioned in answer B is of those folks making the circular argument that he described - animal communication lacks intention, and therefore it's different from human communication because human communication has intention. This differs from passage A because author A shows no signs of any such disapproval, but rather accepts the research findings of others without questioning them.

I too like E at first glance, but ultimately determined that B was better for the reasons described herein. Author B does have a position and is not at all circumspect, and his position is critical of other researchers while author A is not.

Take another look and see if that makes sense to you, and then let us know if we can be of any further help. Good luck!