June 2007 - Sec 2 - LR - Q11
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Video Transcript:
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Question 11: It is now common complaint that the electronic media have
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corroded the intellectual skills required and fostered by the literary media. But
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several centuries ago the complaint was that certain intellectual skills, such as
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the powerful memory and extemporaneous eloquence that were intrisic to
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oral culture, were being destroyed by the spread of literacy. So, what awaits us
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is probably a mere alteration of the human mind rather than its devolution. So
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first step argument or facts? Clearly we have an argument. The inclusion being the last
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sentence that what awaits us is probably a mere alteration of the human mind
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rather than its devolution. And how do we know that? Well it's now a common
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complaint that the electronic media have corroded the intellectual skills required
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and fostered by the literary media. But several centuries ago we had a similar complaint
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that certain intellectual skills, such as powerful memory and extemporaneous eloquence
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that were intrinsic to culture, were being destroyed by the spread of
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literacy. And what's probably gonna await us is a mere alteration of the human mind
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rather than its devolution. So that is the support for this argument. Now we turn
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our attention to the questions stem. The reference to the complaint of several
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centuries ago
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that powerful memory extemporaneous eloquence were being destroyed plays which one of
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the following roles in the argument? You notice it's asking what rule is this second sentence
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playing in the argument. So we have an argument structure question. Refering us back to the
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second sentence and again that is an example where we didn't see a devlolution of the mind so what
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probably awaits us again in this new situation with the electronic media
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is an alteration of the human mind. So let's take a look here at (A): Evidence
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supporting the claim that intellectual skills fostered by the literary media are
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being destroyed by the electronic media. And while it is evidence you notice
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athe problem with (A) is that that is not that claim the author is making. The author is not
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saying that the
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intellectual skills fostered by the literary media are being destroyed by
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the electronic media. He actually thinks that it's probably just gonna be a mere
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alteration of the human mind rather than its devolution. So (A) does not apply and
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(A) would be eliminated. Moving to (B): An illustration of the general hypothesis
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being advanced that intellectual abilities are inseparable from the means
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by which people communicate. And again you notice that is not what the author is
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doing here. He is not using it as an illustration of the general hypothesis being advanced
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that intellectual abilities are inseparable from the means by which
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people communicate. Where is that stated? (B) completely does not follow so (B) is
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out.
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(C) An example of a cultural change that did not necessarily have a detrimental
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effect on the human mind overall. And you notice (C) here captures the role the second
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sentence is playing in the argument so (C) would be the correct answer. Again it is
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used as an example of a change that they're not necessarily have a
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detrimental effect on the human mind overall. Again you notice that the conclusion is what
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probably awaits is a mere alteration of the human mind rather than its
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devolution. So (C) would be the correct answer. But just making sure... (D) Evidence
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that the claim that the intellectual skills required and fostered by the literary
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media are being lost is unwarranted. And you notice the problem with (D) here is
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that the author is not saying that this claim is unwarranted. It's just that it's
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not going to result in a devolution of the mind. Right? That this is the result in a
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mere alteration of the human mind rather than its devolution. He doesn't really say
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whether this claim that the intellectual skills are being lost is unwarrented. He's
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just saying it's not goint to result in the devolution of the human mind but rather
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in alteration. And that is why (D) is not correct.
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Whereas (C) is the correct answer because you notice (C) says, 'the example
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of a cultural change that did not necessarily have a detrimental effect on
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the human mind overall'. And then lastly here just checking (E): Possible evidence,
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mentioned and then dismissed, that might be cited by supporters of the hypothesis being
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criticized. And again this evidence would not be cited by the supporters of the
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hypothesis being criticized. And it's not actually dismissed either
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He uses this example to then make his final point that what probably awaits us is
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a mere alteration of the human mind rather than its devolution. So (E) again does not
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follow. (C) would be the correct answer.