All the perceptions of the human mind resolve themselves into two dist

Question

All the perceptions of the human mind resolve themselves into two distinct kinds, which I shall call IMPRESSIONS and IDEAS. The difference between these consists in the degrees of force and liveliness, with which they strike upon the mind, and make their way into our thought or consciousness. Those perceptions, which enter with most force and violence, we may name impressions and under this name I comprehend all our sensations, passions and emotions, as they make their first appearance in the soul. By ideas I mean the faint images of these in thinking and reasoning such as, for instance, are all the perceptions excited by the present discourse, excepting only those which arise from the sight and touch, and excepting the immediate pleasure or uneasiness it may occasion. I believe it will not be very necessary to employ many words in explaining this distinction. Every one of himself will readily perceive the difference between feeling and thinking. The common degrees of these are easily distinguished; though it is not impossible but in particular instances they may very nearly approach to each other. Thus in sleep, in a fever, in madness, or in any very violent emotions of soul, our ideas may approach to our impressions. On the other hand it sometimes happens that our impressions are so faint and low, that we cannot distinguish them from our ideas. But notwithstanding this near resemblance in a few instances, they are in general so very different, that no-one can make a scruple to rank them under distinct heads, and assign to each a peculiar name to mark the difference.    1 
 1. What is the primary purpose of the author in writing the passage?

(A) To describe the relationship between two terms 
(B) To conclude that impressions are superior to ideas 
(C) To discuss two terms and advocate in favour of one 
(D) To argue that despite having differences, ideas and impressions have a lot in common 
(E) To state that impressions have more to do with feelings whereas ideas have more to do with thoughts

2 
 2. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the relationship between ideas and impressions?

(A) Ideas and impressions are distinct terms with no overlaps whatsoever.
(B) Ideas have more force whereas impressions are more violent.
(C) Impressions are connected to conscious thoughts whereas ideas take place on a more subconscious level.
(D) Impressions are connected with our feelings whereas ideas are connected with our thoughts.
(E) While we are sleeping, there is no difference between our ideas and impressions.

3 
 3. What is the function of the last sentence of the passage—‘But notwithstanding…mark the difference’?

(A) To highlight the fact that ideas and impressions are fundamentally two distinct terms 
(B) To emphasize the fact that even though there are differences between ideas and impressions, there are also several similarities between the two 
(C) To conclude that despite appearing similar in certain situations, ideas and impressions are, in general, very different from each other 
(D) To state that the difference between ideas and impressions is primarily that of degree of force 
(E) To explain that each individual can easily perceive the difference between ideas and impressions

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 145 Date: 11-Apr-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

abhishektyga · Answer

Please provide explaination for Q3.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. What is the function of the last sentence of the passage—‘But notwithstanding…mark the difference’?

Difficulty Level:   500

Explanation

The last sentence of the passage starts with ‘but’, which should tell us that this will bring in a contrast from the previous sentence. The previous sentence talks about situations in which ideas and impressions may appear the same, so this sentence highlights the fact that despite this occasional similarity, the two terms are fundamentally very different from each other.  (C)  states this best and is the correct answer.

(A)  The sentence doesn’t just highlight this fact but rather contrasts it with the similarities mentioned in the previous sentence.

(B)  Opposite, as explained above.

(D)  This is stated in the opening lines of the passage but is not the reason why the author has written the last sentence of the passage.

(E)  This is again stated in the middle of the passage but has no connection with the last sentence.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. What is the primary purpose of the author in writing the passage?

The author begins the passage by mentioning the terms ‘idea’ and ‘impression’ and goes on to explain the difference between the two. Towards the end of the passage, he also states that there are certain situations in which it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. Thus, the passage primarily discusses the connection between the two terms.

(A)  states this best and is the correct answer.

(B)  The author never states this in the passage.

(C)  The author never advocates in favor of a term.

(D)  While the author does mention the similarities and differences between ideas and impressions, his focus is more on highlighting the differences and not the similarities.

(E)  While the author does mention this in the passage, this is not why he wrote the entire passage.

Answer: A

Anandanwar · Answer

Hello,

A query for Q1.
The passage is about stating that the two terms are different.
Wouldn't relationship mean how the terms are related? (Not how the terms are different)
This is the reason I rejected A.
Thanks and Regards,
Ankit

mkeshri185 · Answer

How can be A the answer for Q1?. Passage is not talking about relationship between Impression and Idea , instead passage is describing both of them separately about what they are and in the middle author just made one small point that in few certain situation they may appear same but then with force tone said that they are different and anyone can rank them clearly. So there is no talk about relationship. Relationship means what's the impact of A on B or B on A. There is no impact/effect of Impression on Ideas are talked in the passage or vice versa.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hi mkeshri185

A  “relationship”  doesn’t always mean causal impact (A affects B or vice versa). It can also mean:

How two things are similar 
 How they are different 
 How they interact conceptually 
 How they are distinguished from each other

Here, the passage compares impressions and ideas in terms of  “force and liveliness,”  notes they are distinct in general, and acknowledges rare cases where they are similar. That is describing their relationship specifically, a relationship of distinction with minor overlap.

The author first introduces two terms (impressions and ideas) then defines them by contrast in  “force and liveliness” then gave examples and acknowledges possible overlap in special cases and in the last Reaffirms they are generally distinct

The focus is not just defining each in isolation but about clarifying the distinction and connection between them. Hence  A  is the correct answer.

All the perceptions of the human mind resolve themselves into two dist

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All the perceptions of the human mind resolve themselves into two dist

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