CSAT DAILY MISSION #30

Jul 23, 2015

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Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:

The Whorf hypothesis is the view that language shapes cognition; that is, concepts and ways of thinking depend on language. People who speak significantly different languages, then, view the world differently. Also called the hypothesis of linguistic relativity or the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, the Whorf hypothesis is named after the early twentieth century linguist Benjamin Whorf, who claimed that, because the Hopi language expressed statements about time in dissimilar ways than other languages, the Hopi held a different conception of time than other peoples. Related to linguistic relativity is linguistic determinism, the view that language necessitates how one thinks (thinking outside the bounds of one’s language is impossible). Some psychologists believe the Whorf hypothesis helps explain cognition; like linguistic determinism, however, it is highly controversial. For example, Whorf reasoned that because the Inuit (Eskimos) have many names for snow, they must be able to perceive many more kinds of snow than other people, for whom snow conditions are less important. On the basis of these kinds of observations, Whorf formulated the theory of linguistic relativity.

Question 1

According to a common myth, Eskimos have multiple words for “snow” that influence the complexity of their thoughts about it. Which hypothesis addresses this myth?

(A) Confirmation bias

(B) Functional fixedness

(D) Linguistic relativity

Question 2

Consider the following statements, and determine which one is true:
1. Researchers discovered that language changes people’s thought process.
2. Concept formation depends on Hopi language in the early days.

(A) 1 only

(B) 2 only

(D) Neither 1 nor 2

Question 3

Which of the following is false about Linguistic relativity?

(A) Evidence for the linguistic relativity hypothesis has been derived from cross-religious studies.

(B) The Whorf hypothesis is different from the view that language shapes thought.

(D) Neither (A) nor (B)

Question 4

Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage?

(A) Linguistic relativity opens the window to the realization that all languages do not translate to each other.

(B) That linguistic categories limit and determine cognitive categories is the weak part of the Whorf hypothesis.

(D) None of these

Question 5

Which word from the passage means the same as “perception”?

(A) Observation

(B) Conception

(D) Determinism

SOLUTIONS TO DAILY CSAT MISSION # 31

1. (A) 2. (B) 3. (D) 4. (B) 5. (B)

Explanations
1. to 4. The solutions become simple enough when you draw a diagram:

1. You take boat from Q to P and from P to R. You can also go from Q to T and T to R, but mode of transport would have to change.

2. S is connected to R only. So, in order to visit S, a person has to go via R and then return again via R.

4. Rail goes to P from Q only, to Q from P only, to R from T only and to T from R only. It connects more than two cities (four cities), but never connects one city to two other cities.

5. 11, 13 and 31, 17 and 71, 37 and 73, 79 and 97.

Comments

6 responses to “CSAT DAILY MISSION #30”

Admin 2

July 25, 2015

2. For the Hopis, their language influences their concept formation. But for other people (like you or me) who will never learn Hopi, the Hopi language has no impact on our concept formation. So, second statement is wrong.
4. What we have understood till now is that languages can easily be translated into one another. So, if a child’s mother tongue is Tamil, it does not mean he will learn different things than a child whose mother tongue is Kannada. They will learn to call hings differently, but will understand how things work in the same way.
But now we are learning that different mother tongues also change the way people understand things. Different languages impact the brain differently, and it is quite possible that a Tamilian’s understanding of something is possible to be different than a Kannadiga’s.
RAJASRI

July 24, 2015

PLEASE EXPLAIN THE ANSWERS FOR 2ND AND FOURTH QUESTIONS
Ashish

July 24, 2015

1) d 2) d 3) c 4) b 5) c
RAJSRI

July 23, 2015

DDCBC
shrey

July 23, 2015

DACBD
Nidhi

July 23, 2015

DCCDB