PrepTest 119, Section 2, Question 15
One's palate is to a great extent socially(36 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(7 more words not shown)
- AMaxine spoke to(25 more words not shown)
- BMike dislikes lima(16 more words not shown)
- CAll of George's(23 more words not shown)
- DYolanda dislikes pickles(13 more words not shown)
- ESally found jalapeño(28 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
It's not just getting used to a food. It's coming to like it after seeing other people enjoy it. The passage gives us two pieces: we notice a lot of people enjoying a food, and we become accustomed to that food ourselves. Eventually, we like it too. Think of acquiring a taste within a family or community where that food is enjoyed. The social setting matters to the description; mere repeated exposure doesn't capture the whole idea.
What we’re looking for
We're looking for an example of that process. I want someone who spends time around people who enjoy a food and comes to enjoy it as well. Keep “like” in view. Disliking a food or becoming able to tolerate it is a different outcome.
Working the answers
- A
Maxine learns some recipes from one neighbor and discovers she likes pasta after trying them. That could be about finding a preparation she enjoys. We don't get the pattern of observing many people enjoying a food and gradually acquiring their taste. Don't supply that social history just because the neighbor is another person.
- B
Mike comes to dislike something his parents dislike. That is a possible example of social influence, but the passage gives a particular positive pattern: seeing people enjoy a food and eventually liking it yourself. B changes both the observed attitude and the result.
- CCorrect
George's relatives all enjoy pierogis, giving us the group whose enjoyment he observes. Spending several summers with them supplies time to become accustomed to the food. George then becomes fond of it too. The surrounding people's enjoyment, his exposure over time, and his eventual liking all fit the description.
- D
Yolanda's relatives wince at pickles, and she dislikes them. Like B, this concerns dislike rather than developing a liking for a food others enjoy. It may sound socially influenced, but it doesn't illustrate the specific process the passage describes.
- E
Being able to eat jalapeño peppers without discomfort isn't the same as liking them. Sally might tolerate them now and still prefer not to eat them. We also learn that her family uses peppers frequently, not that she observes their enjoyment and develops the same taste. E gives exposure and increased tolerance; C gives the social example and the positive liking we're asked to match.
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