PrepTest 140, Section 4, Question 16
In certain fields of human endeavor, such as(466 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AIn at least(28 more words not shown)
- BPerformance at the(19 more words not shown)
- CExceptional innate talent(15 more words not shown)
- DExceptional innate talent(16 more words not shown)
- EThe importance of(30 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Training can produce both specialized skills and physical changes. By the time we observe an extensively trained superior performer, the observed advantage may therefore reflect years of development. Seeing the finished performance doesn't automatically tell us how much exceptional ability the person had before that training.
What we’re looking for
That is a limit on what we can infer about the person's starting point. It is not proof that the person has no innate talent, or that training and talent must always contribute in the same proportions.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
At least some highly trained performers may be difficult to assess for exceptional innate talent because acquired skills and adaptations can account for what we now observe. The chess and athletic examples show why superior performance need not reveal an equally superior inborn capacity.
- B
The highest level of innate talent is precisely what the author says may not be necessary. A baseline common to competent performers, combined with training, may be enough.
- C
We aren't given a division between fields that require exceptional innate talent and fields that do not. The examples support the training explanation; they don't establish this field-by-field prerequisite.
- D
Not needing an exceptional gift does not make that gift an obstacle. Nothing says it causes complacency or prevents someone from developing skills.
- E
This goes too far in the other direction. The conclusion still includes a level of talent shared by reasonably competent performers. Emphasizing motivation does not remove every role for innate abilities.
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