To many developers of technologies that affect public health or the environment, "risk communication" means persuading the public that the potential risks of such technologies are small and should be ignored. βββββ βββ βββββββββββ βββββ ββ ββββ βββ ββββ ββ βββββββ ββββ βββ ββββββ ββ βββ ββββββββββ βββ ββββββ ββββββ ββ βββββββββββββ βββββ βββ ββββ βββ ββββ βββββββ βββββββββ βββββ ββββββββ ββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββ βββββββ βββββββ ββββ ββββ βββββββββββ βββββββ ββββ βββ βββββ βββββ ββββββ βββββββ ββββ ββββ ββββββ ββββββ ββ βββββ ββ βββββββ βββββββ ββββ ββββ βββββββββββββ ββββ ββββ ββββββββββ βββββββ ββββ βββ ββββββ βββ βββββ ββββββββββββββ ββ β βββββββββ βββ ββββββββββββ ββββ ββ ββββββββ
Intro topic Β·Risk communication
People who communicate risks to the public think lay people often ignore mundane dangers, but fear exotic dangers that are highly unlikely to materialize.
Lay people's assessment of risk Β·Generally accurate, when not considering ethical matters
Lay people provide reasonably accurate ranks of hazards by annual number of deaths. A study showed that they can understand specific risks of electromagnetic fields.
Example supporting author Β·Recent study showed effectiveness of risk-communication based on understanding the public
Brochure on risks of radon was developed based on interviews and questionnaires of the public. People who read this brochure understood the risks of radon better than people who had read a different brochure that didn't involve interviews or questionnaires of the public.
Passage Style
Critique or debate
Problem-analysis
Analysis by AlbertGauthier
1.
Which one of the following ββββ βββββββββ βββ ββββ βββββ ββ βββ ββββββββ
Question Type
Main point
The main point of this Problem-Analysis passage is the solution the author recommends to deal with the challenge of effective risk communication: risk communicators should understand what their audience already knows and believes about a given risk.
The author never claims that complex technologies have increasing impact on health and safety, or that risk communicators are effectively addressing the situation, so this canβt be her main point.
This is a good paraphrase of both the problem and the authorβs recommended solution. The problem is how to communicate risks in a way that helps people make reasonable decisions. The solution is that risk communicators should first understand what their audience already knows and believes about a given risk.
This gets the problem right (effectively communicating risks to the public), but it misrepresents the authorβs solution. Her solution isnβt to simplify the messageβitβs to tailor the message to whatever the audienceβs level of understanding happens to be.
Descriptively accurate, but not the main point. This is part of the background the author gives in P1 on why thereβs a problem with effectively communicating risksβpeople can view risk communication as an attempt to persuade, not inform. But the author then goes on to argue for a solution, and when the author of a Problem-Analysis passage recommends a solution, that solution is the main point.
e
Lay people can ββ ββββββ ββββββββββ ββ ββββββββββ ββββββββ ββββ ββββββ βββββββββ βββββ βββββββββββββ ββββββ
The author suggests this may be true, but itβs not her main point. Rather, the fact that lay people are influenced by these concerns is merely support for the bigger point the authorβs trying to make: risk communicators need to consider lay peopleβs knowledge and subjective beliefs.
Difficulty
87% of people who answer get this correct
This is a slightly challenging question.
It is slightly harder than the average question in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%126
135
75%144
Analysis
Main point
Main point
Stems asking us to articulate the main point of the passage. Often the first question associated with a given passage.
Critique or debate
Critique or debate
Passages that develop multiple perspectives on the central topic
Humanities
Humanities
Passages with subject matter centered on humanities and social science (history, philosophy, economics, etc.)
Problem-analysis
Problem-analysis
Passages that present a particular problem and then discuss the implications of that problem. They also often explore one or more solutions to that problem (although they donβt have to).
Answer Popularity
PopularityAvg. score
a
1%
140
b
87%
156
c
7%
146
d
3%
142
e
2%
146
Question history
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