i am stuck in bet B & C. I will pick C.
whats the OA!!!
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The answer should be D. The argument is about whether the public understands a "new idea". It suggests we can determine that by seeing whether the words which denote that idea are in common usage. But words can have multiple meanings. If the meaning of the word changes, the public might use the word without understanding the original idea at all, which is what D says.

That's more or less what has happened with a word like "deconstruct", which is used fairly often in casual speech to mean "break down" or "dissect", but which has quite a different meaning in philosophy. You couldn't say that the public understands "deconstruction" just by looking at how often that word is used, because the meaning of the word has become distorted.

If it isn't clear why D is right, I think you can arrive at the answer through process of elimination. A is not an assumption; editors can be interested both in common and in rare words and the argument still holds. For B, we don't care at all whether the criteria used are 'numerical'. For C, the argument has nothing to do with words in dictionaries; it is only about the opinions of dictionary editors. And for E, there is nothing in the argument about which comes first: usage of words or understanding of words (and in fact if E is true, it partially invalidates the argument, since a word might be used without anyone understanding it). So that just leaves D.
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I agree that D makes the most sense.

A) actually dictionary editors love rare words...
B) irrelevant
C) mixing up cause and effect
D) YEAH!
E) it doesn't say anything about whether or not people understand the idea.
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Method to determine if a certain idea is taking hold on the population is to measure the speed at which the word is seeping into the common usage among the general population. ie: the meaning remains constant (Idea and the word are interchangable)
Dictionary editors are concerned with the opinions whether or not the word can be said to have passed into common usage. ie: Dictionary editors doubt their method of determining the link between idea and its meaning and the usage of the word among general populance.

Question:
Assuming: Spread of Idea = Word usage among general populance
What is the assumption on which the above method rely?

(B) Dictionary editors have exact numerical criteria for telling when a word has passed into common usage. - Irrelevant - Incorrect
(C) For a new idea to take hold, dictionary editors have to include the relevant word or words in their dictionaries. - Its the other way round that is stated in the passage. - Incorrect
(E) Words denoting new ideas tend to be used before the ideas denoted are understood. - It is stated in the passage that the idea is spread with common usage. Understanding the idea is not mentioned in the passage - Incorrect

(D) As a word passes into common usages, its meaning does not undergo any severe distortions in the process. - It is mentioned in the passage that idea spread in to common usage, with the word used in common usage has the same meaning as that of the intial idea. - Not an assumption - Incorrect

(A) Dictionary editors are not professionally interested in words that are only rarely used. - Reversing the meaning of the statement - Editors are professionally interested in the words that are rarely used - this means the idea spread into common usage will not interest editors which is against the assumption that the passage makes. Hence the correct answer - Correct


Hope this helps.

Good one. I was very confused between 'C' and 'D' but now I have understood why C and not D.

(C) For a new idea to take hold, dictionary editors have to include the relevant word or words in their dictionaries. -
There are two points mentioned in the argument - 1st (One sure way about how the new idea is taking hold among population is to monitor how fast the word expressing the idea are passing into common usage ) and 2nd (Professional opinion of the dictionary editor about if the words are passed into common usage. This is just an opinion and there is no mention/hint in the argument about the possible assumption based on the opinion of dictionary editor, Whether or not dictionary editors have to include these words in dictionary is out of question)


(D) As a word passes into common usages, its meaning does not undergo any severe distortions in the process.
Correct - The assumption is that the word/words pertaining to a new idea are completely understood and that the meaning of the words is not distorted.

My take D

Strange , OA is not out till now !!!
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Here you go brother, the answer is D. I am also adding the OA.
Sorry for the inconvenience and this will not be repeated.
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