PrepTest 149, Section 1, Question 11
Lecturer: If I say, "I tried to get(66 more words not shown)
The lecturer's statements, if true,(9 more words not shown)
- AUnderstanding what people(14 more words not shown)
- BIt is unusual(13 more words not shown)
- CUnderstanding what people(11 more words not shown)
- DSpeakers often convey(9 more words not shown)
- EListeners cannot reasonably(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
You tried. But did you finish?
Trying doesn't rule out succeeding. Still, if someone says only that they tried to finish on time, we usually hear an explanation for missing the deadline. Why mention the effort instead of simply reporting success? The lecturer is drawing our attention to the difference between what the words literally establish and what we understand from the choice to use those words.
What we’re looking for
Think of someone announcing, 'I didn't mean to break your mug.' That sentence denies an intention. It doesn't literally say the mug broke—but you're probably going to check the mug. We understand something beyond the bare definitions of the words. Since the lecturer calls this typical of conversation, that's the general point I'd expect a supported answer to capture.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
Understanding the words alone tells us that the person made an effort. Understanding why the person chose that statement instead of announcing success helps us hear the message about not finishing. The example supports the claim that understanding what people say often requires more than knowing the words' meanings.
- B
The lecturer explicitly says the example is typical. B instead makes the word 'tried' an unusual exception. The point is a common feature of communication, not a special oddity of that one word.
- C
Nonverbal cues would include things like a facial expression or a gesture. The explanation here doesn't depend on detecting either. It concerns what we understand from the speaker's choice of words in context. Body language could matter in other conversations, but that isn't the point established by this example.
- D
Information beyond the literal meaning isn't necessarily information beyond the speaker's intention. The speaker might fully intend us to understand that the work wasn't finished. D changes a distinction about how a message is conveyed into a claim about accidentally revealing too much.
- E
The lecturer says we would usually understand the message correctly. Nothing suggests ordinary listeners lack the knowledge needed for successful communication or that expecting such understanding is unreasonable. E turns an example of people understanding one another into a claim that they cannot be expected to do so.
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