The modern mania for psychological testing springs directly from some

Question

The modern mania for psychological testing springs directly from some dark need of the psyche of certain humans to name, to label, to thus stereotype and thereby control. The testing tidal wave began building from little contributory wavelets early in the twentieth century when Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon, French psychologists, introduced their Binet-Simon intelligence scale. To be sure, these scientists’ intent was admirable, to assure that French children would not unfairly be denied an education. But we all know just what road, according to folk wisdom, is paved with good intentions, don’t we?

The wavelets began building to stormier seas over the decades. Robert Woodworth, to satisfy the military’s hunger to know how their soldiers might fare under the combat conditions of World War I, developed one of the first of what were eventually known as “personality inventories.” Inventories—as though one could cunningly separate elements of the marvelously coherent and complex human mind, wrap them up and ribbon them, and stock them on convenience store shelves. Many more tests came hard on the heels of Woodworth’s. Aptitude tests, achievement tests, personality tests, intelligence tests, the California Achievement Tests, the Rorschach inkblot test, and the Wechsler scale.

Who knows what aptitudes humans will discover in themselves tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or when they’re ninety-five? How can we measure achievement with a few multiple-choice questions? Who says if I see Mom’s apple pie in the inkblot I’ve got an Oedipus complex? How can we measure intelligence when no one knows exactly what intelligence is? And what do we get for the money and time spent on all this nonsense? We get labels, pigeonholes to conveniently deposit people in. We get to say, “Johnny isn’t capable of doing that,” so we never expect Johnny to do that, so probably he won’t.    1 
 1. What is the primary reason that the author objects to psychological testing?

A. It is dangerously biased.
B. It is a waste of money and time.
C. It favors the least imaginative people.
D. It pigeonholes and stereotypes people.
E. It cannot be validated.

2 
 2. According to the author, Binet and Simon

A. helped French children get an education.
B. started a dangerous trend.
C. were admirable but ineffective.
D. introduced Robert Woodworth to intelligence testing.
E. believed in intelligence testing but not in personality testing.

3 
 3. Based on the passage, all of the following are reasonable inferences EXCEPT

A. No multiple choice test can examine all aspects of a human being’s intelligence and personality.
B. Interpretations of many psychological tests are subjective.
C. No definition of intelligence has been set forth that is agreed upon by all experts.
D. Personality inventories are more valid than intelligence tests.
E. A person’s performance is often influenced by the expectations of others.

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 178 Date: 03-May-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

Source: Cliffs Test Prep.

vaishurekha · Answer

can anyone explain q2? i didnt get why ans is B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. According to the author, Binet and Simon

Explanation

The passage does state that Binet and Simon’s motivations were undoubtedly admirable, as suggested in A, for example, but it is the dangerous trend they began that is the focus of the passage. The passage does not indicate that they were ineffective — quite the contrary  (C) . Neither  D  nor  E  is supported by the passage.

The best answer is B.

mnbhagat94 · Answer

Need explanation for Q3.
It doesn't indicate that D. Personality inventories are more valid than intelligence tests. the Author is quite critical of Personality inventories

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. Based on the passage, all of the following are reasonable inferences EXCEPT

Explanation

The passage suggests all of the statements except D:

A in lines 24–30;  (Inventories—as though one could cunningly separate elements of the marvelously coherent and complex human mind, wrap them up and ribbon them, and stock them on convenience store shelves.)

B in lines 41–43;  (Who says if I see Mom’s apple pie in the inkblot I’ve got an Oedipus complex?)

C in lines 43–45;  (How can we measure intelligence when no one knows exactly what intelligence is?)

and  E in lines 48–51  (We get to say, “Johnny isn’t capable of doing that,” so we never expect Johnny to do that, so probably he won’t.)

Answer: D

hydr01 · Answer

Hi Sajjad! These RC passages aren't from OG right? If I practice these RC passages, I won't be wasting OG questions from the OG bank right? Where do you get these passages and questions from?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Yes, you are right these passages have been taken from private sources prep companies.

Vatsala31 · Answer

In question 1, I'm confused between options C and D, both seem like valid answers.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. Based on the passage, all of the following are reasonable inferences EXCEPT

Difficulty Level:   500

Explanation

D  is the best choice. Although the author might well agree with the other statements, he is most concerned with the tests’ tendency to stereotype and pigeonhole. See the first sentence of the passage.

Answer: D

The modern mania for psychological testing springs directly from some

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

The modern mania for psychological testing springs directly from some

Prep Toolkit

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