PrepTest 124, Section 1, Question 24
People perceive color by means of certain photopigments(74 more words not shown)
Each of the following, if(12 more words not shown)
- APeople with abnormally(19 more words not shown)
- BQuestions that ask(17 more words not shown)
- CSome people are(18 more words not shown)
- DSome people are(19 more words not shown)
- ESome people fail(16 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Telling red from green isn't the same task as telling one shade of red from another.
Think of a black pen and a black phone case. We can call both black and still notice that one looks darker. Likewise, someone might recognize red easily without distinguishing every shade that other people can see.
The passage connects color perception with photopigments in the eye. My first guess is that different shades might depend on different photopigments: perhaps someone can perceive red but lacks something needed to distinguish maroon from another red. That's a possibility to investigate, not a biology fact established here.
What we’re looking for
This is an EXCEPT question. Four answers will help explain the study, and we want the one that doesn't. My guess gives us a starting point, but we shouldn't insist that every useful explanation be the same one. Keep the result precise: some people who readily distinguish red from green failed to report differences among shades of red.
Working the answers
- A
This helps explain the result, so eliminate it. It isn't exactly my guess about different kinds of photopigments. Instead, the amount of a photopigment matters. Someone could have enough to perceive red but too little to distinguish as many shades as other participants.
- B
This offers a different explanation: the questions might be unclear. Participants could see a difference but misunderstand what the study asks them to distinguish or report. We don't have to assume their eyes work differently if the instructions themselves could produce different responses.
- C
Someone might look at maroon and a brighter red and simply say, “They're both red.” If that person doesn't care about the fine difference, they might not notice or report it. The study records their response, so lack of interest could help explain the result without a complete inability to perceive red.
- DCorrect
I don't need an explanation of red-green color blindness. The people in this study can easily tell red from green. Their difficulty is reporting differences within red. A missing photopigment that explains failure on the first task doesn't explain this group's result on the second.
- E
Seeing a difference and having a name for it are different abilities. Imagine being asked about turquoise in a language where you know the word for blue but not turquoise. You might call both colors blue even while seeing that they differ. Similarly, limited names for shades of red could explain why people fail to report distinctions. Eliminate this explanation too.
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