Self-study
Passage A.
P1
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Whorf's claim ·
Native language limits how we think
Weaken Whorf's claim ·
Claim lacks any evidence
P2
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New hypothesis ·
Native language emphasizes certain thinking
Contrast this with Whorf's claim. Whorf said language closes doors on how we think; author says actually, language just pushes us toward certain doors.
Example ·
Of hypothesis in action
Thinking of neighbors along gender lines.
P3
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Effect of grammatical gender ·
People think differently about an object depending on its word's gender
Illustration of effect ·
Masculine words associated with masculine traits; same for feminine words and feminine traits
Examples of various words in German and Spanish. Different word genders produced different associations.
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P4
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Passage B topic ·
How language influences numerical reasoning
This passage also looks at how language affects thinking, but focuses on numeracy
Describe study ·
Subjects lack precise language for number but still have some concept of number
P5
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Implications of study ·
Concept of number does not rely on language for number
Supports a "non-Whorfian" view; i.e., native language does not limit how we think.
Author's clarification ·
Subjects had concept of number but may not have been fully "numerate" (numerically literate)
Author's perspective ·
Study results open to wide interpretation
Having language for number either allows for precise numeracy (Whorfian view) or at least pushes one's thinking in that direction (non-Whorfian, consistent with the views passage A's author).
Passage Style
27.
Which one of the following ██████████ █████████ ███ ████████ ██ ███████ ██ ███ ███ ████ ██ ███████ ██
a
If different languages █████ ████████████ ████████ ██ ███ ███ ███ ████ ███████ ████ ████ ████████ █████ ████████ ████ ███████ ██ █████ ██████████
Passage B doesn’t discuss concepts that are incompatible with each other (contradictory). So we have no reason to think Passage B uses the principle in (A).
b
If a speaker █████████ █ ███████ ███ █████ ███ ███████████ ████████ █████ ██ ███████████ ████ ████ ████████ ████ ███ ███████ ███ ███ ███████ ██ █████████
Passage B uses this concept toward the
Passage A doesn’t use this principle, because it doesn’t discuss speakers who possess concepts without language for that concept.
c
If one’s language █████████ ███ ████ ██████████ ███████ █████████ ████ ███ █████ ███ ██ ████ ██ █████ █ ████████ ██ █████ ████ ████████ ███ ████████████
Passage B doesn’t discuss the ability to learn different languages. So it doesn’t use the principle in (C).
d
If a concept ███ ██ █████████ ████ ███████ ██ ███ ████████ ████ ██ ███████ █████████ ████ ██ ██ ██████ ████ ███ ███████ ███ ███████ ██ █████ ██████████
Passage B isn’t committed to the view that if a concept (such as number) can be expressed more exactly in one language, that language created the concept. It explicitly notes alternative interpretations — language might “mediate the expansion” of a concept or might merely “direct attention to such a concept.” So Passage B doesn’t use the principle in (D).
e
If a language ███████ ████████ ██ █████ █████ █ ████████ ████ ███████ ████ ████ ████ ████████ █████████████ ██ ███ █████████
Passage B doesn’t suggest that there’s a connection between a language’s obliging speakers to think about a concept and the independent origin of the concept. The only mention of a language obliging a speaker to think about a concept is the reference to number words potentially “directing attention” to the concept of numerical equality. But the author of Passage B doesn’t connect this potential relationship to the conclusion that numerical equality is a concept independent of language.