HiSET › Distinguishing between facts, observations, assumptions, and conclusions
Passage adapted from The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud (1900)
It is easy to demonstrate that dreams often have the character of blatant wish-fullfillments; so much so that one wonders why the language of dreams was not understood long ago. For instance, there is a dream that I can experience at will, experimentally, as it were. When I eat sardines, olives, or other strongly salted foods in the evening, I am awakened in the night by thirst. But the awaking is always preceded by a dream with the same content: I gulp the water down; and it tastes delicious to me as only a cool drink can when one is dying of thirst; and then I wake up and really have to drink. The cause of this simple dream is the thirst which I feel when I awaken. This feeling causes the desire to drink, and the dream shows me this desire fulfilled. It thereby serves a function which I can easily guess. I am a good sleeper, unaccustomed to being awakened by any need. If I can slake my thirst by dreaming that I am drinking, I don't need to wake up in order to be satisfied. Thus this is a convenience dream. The dream is substituted for action, as so often in life.
Recently this same dream occurred in a somewhat modified form. I had become thirsty even before sleeping and drained the glass of water which was standing on the nightstand next to my bed. A few hours later during the night I had a new attack of thirst which was more inconvenient. In order to get some water I would have had to get up and take the glass standing on my wife's nightstand. I dreamed therefore that my wife gave me a drink out of a vessel. This vessel was an Etruscan funerary urn which I had brought back from a trip to Italy and had since given away. However, the water in it tasted so salty (plainly because of the ashes) that I had to wake up. It is easy to see how neatly this dream arranged matters; since it its only aim was wish-fulfillment, it could be completely egotistical. A love of convenience is not really compatible with consideration for others. The introduction of the funerary urn is probably another wish-fulfillment; I was sorry that I didn't own the vessel any more--just as the water glass beside my wife was inaccessible. The urn also fit the growing salty taste which I knew would force me to wake up.
The bolded and underlined statement is best described as a/an ________________.
assumption
fact
synthesis
observation
An assumption is a statement that is accepted as true where no proof is given, and Freud doesn't elaborate on how he knows for certain that ashes are the source of the saltiness.
A fact is a statement that is verifiably true, while there is no way to completely verify this statement.
An observation is a statement made based on something the viewer has seen or noticed, and that does not really apply here.
A synthesis is a process of combining ideas to form something new, such as a theory or new system of belief.
PROLOGUE.
Now, luck yet sends us, and a little wit
Will serve to make our play hit;
(According to the palates of the season)
Here is rhime, not empty of reason.
… thus much I can give you as a token (5)
Of his play's worth, no eggs are broken,
… The laws of time, place, persons he observeth,
From no needful rule he swerveth.
All gall and copperas from his ink he draineth,
Only a little salt remaineth, (10)
Wherewith he'll rub your cheeks, till red, with laughter,
They shall look fresh a week after.
According to the passage, what factors are necessary to create a successful play?
Good fortune, ingenuity, and a favorable audience
Luck, good rhyme, and little reason
More reason than rhyme
A bit of coarse, salty humor
Obedience to the laws of time, place, and people
Lines 1 and 2 note that “luck” and “a little wit” will “serve to make our play hit,” so we know that good fortune and ingenuity are two of the ingredients. In Line 3, the writer also makes the disclaimer that the play will only be successful if it happens to fit the tastes of audiences at the time: “According to the palates of the season.”
Passage adapted from Ben Jonson’s Volpone (1606)
Adapted from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (1895)
He sounded the clacker till his arm ached, and at length his heart grew sympathetic with the birds' thwarted desires. They seemed, like himself, to be living in a world which did not want them. Why should he frighten them away? They took upon more and more the aspect of gentle friends and pensioners—the only friends he could claim as being in the least degree interested in him, for his aunt had often told him that she was not. He ceased his rattling, and they alighted anew.
"Poor little dears!" said Jude, aloud. "You shall have some dinner—you shall. There is enough for us all. Farmer Troutham can afford to let you have some. Eat, then my dear little birdies, and make a good meal!"
They stayed and ate, inky spots on the nut-brown soil, and Jude enjoyed their appetite. A magic thread of fellow-feeling united his own life with theirs. Puny and sorry as those lives were, they much resembled his own.
His clacker he had by this time thrown away from him, as being a mean and sordid instrument, offensive both to the birds and to himself as their friend. All at once he became conscious of a smart blow upon his buttocks, followed by a loud clack, which announced to his surprised senses that the clacker had been the instrument of offense used. The birds and Jude started up simultaneously, and the dazed eyes of the latter beheld the farmer in person, the great Troutham himself, his red face glaring down upon Jude's cowering frame, the clacker swinging in his hand.
"So it's 'Eat my dear birdies,' is it, young man? 'Eat, dear birdies,' indeed! I'll tickle your breeches, and see if you say, 'Eat, dear birdies' again in a hurry! And you've been idling at the schoolmaster's too, instead of coming here, ha'n't ye, hey? That's how you earn your sixpence a day for keeping the rooks off my corn!"
Which of the following statements about the content of the passage is true?
Jude's aunt is vocal in her disinterest in him
Farmer Troutham is a rich man
The whole scene was just a drawing
Jude loves the birds
Jude is using his hands to scare the birds by clapping
We know that Jude's aunt has told him that she is not interested in him from the line, “the only friends he could claim as being in the least degree interested in him, for his aunt had often told him that she was not.” None of the other options can be found in the passage.
PROLOGUE.
Now, luck yet sends us, and a little wit
Will serve to make our play hit;
(According to the palates of the season)
Here is rhime, not empty of reason.
… thus much I can give you as a token (5)
Of his play's worth, no eggs are broken,
… The laws of time, place, persons he observeth,
From no needful rule he swerveth.
All gall and copperas from his ink he draineth,
Only a little salt remaineth, (10)
Wherewith he'll rub your cheeks, till red, with laughter,
They shall look fresh a week after.
Based on context, what is the meaning of Line 9, “All gall and copperas from his ink he draineth”?
The playwright has removed everything bitter from the play
The playwright ran out of ink because the play is unusually long
The playwright used cheap ink and overcharged his sponsor
The playwright has made an unsuccessful attempt to be humorous
The playwright lost inspiration after writing this masterpiece
To understand Line 9, you must infer that “gall” and “copperas” are two common ingredients of old-fashioned ink. You must also recognize that gall can describe bitterness or bile. Thus, to drain one’s ink of gall is to metaphorically remove the bitterness from one’s writing.
Passage adapted from Ben Jonson’s Volpone (1606)
Passage adapted from Thomas Bulfinch’s “Prometheus and Pandora” (1860)
The creation of the world is a problem naturally fitted to excite the liveliest interest of man, its inhabitant. The ancient pagans, not having the information on the subject which we derive from the pages of Scripture, had their own way of telling the story, which is as follows: Before earth and sea and heaven were created, all things wore one aspect, to which we give the name of Chaos—a confused and shapeless mass, nothing but dead weight, in which, however, slumbered the seeds of things. Earth, sea, and air were all mixed up together; so the earth was not solid, the sea was not fluid, and the air was not transparent. God and Nature at last interposed, and put an end to this discord, separating earth from sea, and heaven from both. The fiery part, being the lightest, sprang up, and formed the skies; the air was next in weight and place. The earth, being heavier, sank below; and the water took the lowest place, and buoyed up the earth.
Here some god—it is not known which—gave his good offices in arranging and disposing the earth. He appointed rivers and bays their places, raised mountains, scooped out valleys, distributed woods, fountains, fertile fields, and stony plains. The air being cleared, the stars began to appear, fishes took possession of the sea, birds of the air, and four-footed beasts of the land.
The origin of which of the following is NOT explained in this passage?
Man
Mountains
Birds
Fish
The passage mentions the first mountains, birds, and fish, as well as other landforms and animals, but does not mention people.
(1) The Baron's lady weighed about three hundred and fifty pounds, and was therefore a person of great consideration, and she did the honours of the house with a dignity that commanded still greater respect. (2) Her daughter Cunegonde was seventeen years of age, fresh-coloured, comely, plump, and desirable. (3) The Baron’s son seemed to be in every respect worthy of his father. (4)\[Professor\] Pangloss was the oracle of the family, and little Candide heard his lessons with all the good faith of his age and character. (5)
Pangloss was professor of metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology. (6) He proved admirably that there is no effect without a cause, and that, in this best of all possible worlds, the Baron's castle was the most magnificent of castles, and his lady the best of all possible Baronesses.
According to the passage, why does Candide listen to and obey Professor Pangloss?
Candide is still young enough to trust authority
Candide is intimidated by Pangloss’s learning
Candide is punished by Pangloss if he does not obey
Candide does not want to turn out like his mother and father
Candide is paid for behaving well
In Sentence 4, we see the answer to this question: “\[Professor\] Pangloss was the oracle of the family, and little Candide heard his lessons with all the good faith of his age and character.” We can see, then, that Candide is young and that he listens to what Pangloss teaches him “with all the good faith of his age and character.” In other words, he is still of an age that listens to teachers and authorities without questioning them.
Passage adapted from Voltaire’s Candide (1759)
HENRY V: And \[St. Crispin’s Day\] shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me (5)
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks (10)
That fought with us upon St. Crispin's day.
Which of the following ideals does the passage NOT call upon?
Pacifism
Brotherhood
Nobility
Masculinity
Camaraderie
The passage, which is inciting soldiers to fight together in battle, does not invoke pacifism, or peacefulness, at all. It does, however call upon nobility in its mention of “gentlemen” (Line 8), brotherhood (Lines 4 and 6), camaraderie in its mention of “we happy few, we band of brothers” (Line 4), and masculinity in its mention of holding “their manhoods cheap” (Line 10).
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1600)
(1) The Baron's lady weighed about three hundred and fifty pounds, and was therefore a person of great consideration, and she did the honours of the house with a dignity that commanded still greater respect. (2) Her daughter Cunegonde was seventeen years of age, fresh-coloured, comely, plump, and desirable. (3) The Baron’s son seemed to be in every respect worthy of his father. (4)\[Professor\] Pangloss was the oracle of the family, and little Candide heard his lessons with all the good faith of his age and character. (5)
Pangloss was professor of metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology. (6) He proved admirably that there is no effect without a cause, and that, in this best of all possible worlds, the Baron's castle was the most magnificent of castles, and his lady the best of all possible Baronesses.
According to the passage, how is the Baron’s wife treated in her house?
She is treated with deference
She is treated with scorn
She is ignored because of her daughter’s loveliness
She is taken advantage of by her children
She is looked down upon by the learned Professor Pangloss
In Sentence 1, the author tells us humorously that the Baron’s obese wife was a person “of great consideration.” The author then goes on to tell us more seriously that “she did the honours of the house with a dignity that commanded still greater respect.” To treat someone with deference means to treat them with respect and submission, and that’s the only answer that makes sense in the context of this passage.
Passage adapted from Voltaire’s Candide (1759)
(1) The Baron's lady weighed about three hundred and fifty pounds, and was therefore a person of great consideration, and she did the honours of the house with a dignity that commanded still greater respect. (2) Her daughter Cunegonde was seventeen years of age, fresh-coloured, comely, plump, and desirable. (3) The Baron’s son seemed to be in every respect worthy of his father. (4)\[Professor\] Pangloss was the oracle of the family, and little Candide heard his lessons with all the good faith of his age and character. (5)
Pangloss was professor of metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology. (6) He proved admirably that there is no effect without a cause, and that, in this best of all possible worlds, the Baron's castle was the most magnificent of castles, and his lady the best of all possible Baronesses.
Professor Pangloss’s scholarly conclusions are which of the following?
Seemingly profound but actually obsequious
Objectively admirable
Completely scathing
Seemingly esoteric but actually ignorant
None of these
We see, in humorously formal language, that Pangloss has concluded that his present employment is ideal and that his present employers are also ideal. (See Sentence 6: “…in this best of all possible worlds, the Baron's castle was the most magnificent of castles, and his lady the best of all possible Baronesses.”) So, although the formality of the language (Sentences 5-6) makes it seem like his conclusions are profound, they are actually obsequious, or flattering.
Passage adapted from Voltaire’s Candide (1759)
(1) The Baron's lady weighed about three hundred and fifty pounds, and was therefore a person of great consideration, and she did the honours of the house with a dignity that commanded still greater respect. (2) Her daughter Cunegonde was seventeen years of age, fresh-coloured, comely, plump, and desirable. (3) The Baron’s son seemed to be in every respect worthy of his father. (4)\[Professor\] Pangloss was the oracle of the family, and little Candide heard his lessons with all the good faith of his age and character. (5)
Pangloss was professor of metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology. (6) He proved admirably that there is no effect without a cause, and that, in this best of all possible worlds, the Baron's castle was the most magnificent of castles, and his lady the best of all possible Baronesses.
In this passage, what word tells readers that Pangloss is a parody of a professor?
metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology
admirably
oracle
professor
None of these
The word “metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology,” taken from Sentence 5, is a ridiculous word that makes fun of professors who specialize in very abstract, complicated, obscure subjects. “Admirably” has a more sarcastic than parodic effect, “oracle” is simply meant figuratively, and “professor” itself refers to the character’s actual job title.
Passage adapted from Voltaire’s Candide (1759)