PrepTest 150, Section 4, Question 8
Common sense suggests that we know our own(462 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AOnly experts within(24 more words not shown)
- BIn opposition to(19 more words not shown)
- CIn response to(27 more words not shown)
- DSome psychologists have(18 more words not shown)
- ESome psychologists hold(22 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We've already predicted the main point: some psychologists think we infer our own thoughts, even though we experience that knowledge as direct and infallible. The children supply evidence for the view; the discussion of expertise and internal sensations explains why the alternative account can still feel consistent with our everyday experience.
What we’re looking for
We need some version of that central disagreement. An answer doesn't have to repeat every part of our prediction, but it shouldn't turn one supporting example into the whole claim.
Working the answers
- A
Experts aren't an exception who really do have direct, infallible access. Expertise explains why inference can become so quick that people fail to notice it. This converts an account of an illusion into an endorsement of the belief the psychologists challenge.
- BCorrect
This states the central contrast: the common belief says we perceive our thoughts directly; the psychologists say we infer them. It doesn't include every detail about the illusion of infallibility, but it captures the claim those details support and explain.
- C
The proposed explanation depends on our ability to make quick, reliable inferences, not an inability to do so. Because the inferences happen so efficiently, we don't notice them. This reverses the mechanism.
- D
Children's difficulties are the experimental starting point. The broader discussion concerns the nature of people's access to their own thoughts and why it seems direct. Focusing only on children's lack of expertise leaves out that larger argument.
- E
The final paragraph expressly says the psychologists aren't committed to relying solely on external behavior. Their account allows internal sensations and emotions as evidence. This gives them the very position the ending distinguishes from their view.
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