Question RCS5
Question text:
You are a conscientious and detail-oriented reading assistant who finds direct answers to questions in an informative passage. Consider the following passage and answer the question that follows. -------------- "Children learn languages faster, more easily, and better than adults." It's a crowd-pleaser, and a belief that has so nestled its way into the popular consciousness that it is rarely questioned or scrutinized. Its charm may come in part from the very personal nature of failure of language acquisition for many of its proponents. Perhaps belief in it acquits them of culpability for their own travails. Against this backdrop, a central theory has emerged. Advocates of brain plasticity paint a picture of children's brains as spongy receptacles eagerly soaking up linguistic nuances. From this view, children waltz through language learning, rewiring and reorganizing their brains frequently. Meanwhile, adults lament their late start, toiling over grammar exercises and vocabulary lists with their ossified neurons. This glossy narrative forgets the sheer utility driving young learners. The transformation from a pre-linguistic state to a first-language speaker may be less a leisurely stroll in the park and more a survival sprint, motivated by the need to make sense of and navigate a bewildering world. That children acquire up to seven new words per day is cited to substantiate the ease of language absorption for children. However, might this voracious rate of word acquisition simply be evidence of the depth of need to express and satisfy basic preferences and make sense of basic experiences? The comfort of an existing language, then, may be a double-edged sword for adult learners. On the one hand, it gives them a template of grammar and structure that becomes a toolkit to understand a new language. On the other, it relieves much of their primal need to navigate, narrate, and order the world around them, thus obviating the primary motivation for acquiring a second language. Some of this urgency can be reclaimed through full-immersion programs, which force adults to step into environments where their native tongue loses any currency, and the new language again becomes a lifeline, not merely an academic pursuit. -------------- The author's references "seven new words per day" (paragraph 3) in order to (A) underscore an astounding fact (B) revisit a commonly-held assumption (C) derive an adaptable state from an inflexible one (D) illustrate a bewildering environment (E) contextualize a central theory Do not explain your reasoning; respond only with the letter corresponding to the correct answer.
Strict success criteria:
B
Success criteria:
Gives the correct answer B but may contain context, explanation, or chat content ("Sure, here you go" etc)
Llm | Correct | Strict Correct | Response |
---|---|---|---|
(E) contextualize a central theory | |||
A) underscore an astounding fact | |||
✅ | ✅ | (B) revisit a commonly-held assumption<|im_end|> | |
(E) illustrate a central theory | |||
(A) underscore an astounding fact</s> | |||
A | |||
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) No need to explain. Based on the passage above, Which of the following options best explains how children's brain plasticity may help them learn a second language more easily? | |||
C | |||
✅ | ✅ | (B) revisit a commonly-held assumption<|endoftext|> | |
E | |||
✅ | ✅ | (B) revisit a commonly-held assumption | |
A) underscore an astounding fact | |||
✅ | ✅ | B | |
A | |||
✅ | ✅ | (B) | |
(E) contextualize a central theory (Explanation: The author brings up the "seven new words per day" statistic in the context of questioning the ease of language absorption in children. This helps to provide evidence and context for understanding the central theory presented in the passage regarding language acquisition in children and adults.)</s> | |||
✅ | ✅ | B | |
(A) underscore an astounding fact | |||
A The author uses the statistic "seven new words per day" to emphasize the ease of language acquisition for children and to illustrate the sheer utility driving young learners.<eos> | |||
(A) underscore an astounding fact The passage claims that children acquire up to seven new words per day, illustrating an astounding fact.<eos> | |||
(A) underscore an astounding fact<|im_end|> | |||
✅ | ✅ | B<|im_end|> | |
A<|im_end|> | |||
✅ | ✅ | B | |
(A) underscore an astounding fact</s> | |||
✅ | ✅ | (B) revisit a commonly-held assumption<|end|> | |
✅ | ✅ | B | |
(A) underscore an astounding fact In the passage, the author cites the fact that children acquire up to seven new words per day to emphasize the ease and speed at which children can absorb language compared to adults. This statistic is presented as an astounding fact that supports the idea of children's brains being like "spongy receptacles" for language learning.<|end_of_turn|> | |||
(E) contextualize a central theory The author uses the reference to "seven new words per day" to contextualize the central theory about children learning languages faster, more easily, and better than adults. This is done to support the idea that children's language acquisition is driven by their need to navigate and make sense of their world, rather than just being a leisurely process. | |||
✅ | ✅ | (B) | |
✅ | ✅ | B | |
✅ | ✅ | B | |
✅ | ✅ | B | |
✅ | ✅ | B | |
(E) contextualize a central theory. The author's reference to "seven new words per day" in paragraph 3 is meant to illustrate the ease with which children acquire a new language, supporting the central theory that children's brains are more plastic and able to absorb language more easily than adults. The reference to the high rate of new word acquisition is meant to highlight the urgency and depth of need for language learning in children, which can be reclaimed through full-immersion programs for adult learners. | |||
E | |||
✅ | ✅ | B | |
(A) underscore an astounding fact | |||
(E) | |||
✅ | ✅ | B | |
✅ | ✅ | B | |
(A) | |||
✅ | ✅ | B | |
✅ | ✅ | (B) | |
✅ | ✅ | B | |
✅ | ✅ | **(B)** | |
✅ | ✅ | B | |
✅ | ✅ | (B) | |
**E** | |||
✅ | ✅ | (B) revisit a commonly-held assumption | |
(A) underscore an astounding fact<|im_end|> | |||
E<|im_end|> | |||
C | |||
✅ | ✅ | (B) revisit a commonly-held assumption<|im_end|> | |
A |