Toddlers are not being malicious when they bite people. For example

Question

Toddlers are not being malicious when they bite people. For example, a child may want a toy, and feel that the person he or she bites is preventing him or her from having it.

The situation as described above most closely conforms to which one of the following generalizations?

(A) Biting people is sometimes a way for toddlers to try to solve problems.

(B) Toddlers sometimes engage in biting people in order to get attention from adults.

(C) Toddlers mistakenly believe that biting people is viewed as acceptable behavior by adults.

(D) Toddlers do not recognize that by biting people they often thwart their own ends.

(E) Resorting to biting people is in some cases an effective way for toddlers to get what they want.

abhimahna · Accepted Answer

The whole argument is based on the word "malicious". The argument states that they donot always have the intention to harm the people. Then it given an example where a child wants a toy and is biting the people who are preventing him/her to get the toy. So, it means he is biting the people just to get a toy.

Now looking at the options :

(A) Biting people is sometimes a way for toddlers to try to solve problems. --> As per our pre-thinking. Hence, Correct.
(B) Toddlers sometimes engage in biting people in order to get attention from adults. --> Whether they are biting to get attention or something else. We don't know. neither the argument nor the example states that. hence, Incorrect.
(C) Toddlers mistakenly believe that biting people is viewed as acceptable behavior by adults. --> Again, no support in the passage for this point. -- INCORRECT
(D) Toddlers do not recognize that by biting people they often thwart their own ends. --> How?? Do we know if biting is going to harm toddlers only? -- INCORRECT
(E) Resorting to biting people is in some cases an effective way for toddlers to get what they want. --> Again we are not sure whether they actually get what they want. We are given that they bite people to try getting what they want. So, its effectiveness is not clear. -- INCORRECT.

walker · Answer

A

Choice between A and E, but E has wrong "an effective way". We don't know whether bitting is successful.
(A) Biting people is sometimes a way for toddlers  to try to solve  problems. -  the best 
(E) Resorting to biting people is in some cases   an effective way   for toddlers   to get what they want .

aimecon · Answer

(A) for me too.

(E) doesn't make much sense because it is assuming that biting is "effective" (which means that toddlers  are  able to prevent people from having their toys). This assumption is not stated in the passage.

Tom Badgerlock · Answer

I choose (A)

(A) Passage does show that toddlers sometimes bite people to solve problems. Here, problem = toddler wants toy and feels that someone is preventing him/her from having it. Thus, possible answer.

(B) Nothing is mentioned in the passage about getting attention from adults

(C) Nothing mentioned about acceptable behaviour

(D) Nothing mentioned about the result of biting, whether it thwarts toddlers or not

(E) Similar to (D); passage did not mention if biting was effective for toddlers or not

hanumayamma · Answer

(A) Biting people is sometimes a way for toddlers to try to solve problems. Yes. As per argument biting is used to solve the problem – Hold it ]

(B) Toddlers sometimes engage in biting people in order to get attention from adults.  not as per argument premises – eliminate it ]

(C) Toddlers mistakenly believe that biting people is viewed as acceptable behavior by adults.  Toddlers knowing about adults needs – eliminate it ]

(D) Toddlers do not recognize that by biting people they often thwart their own ends. Toddlers and understanding their own actions – eliminate it ]

(E) Resorting to biting people is in some cases an effective way for toddlers to get what they want. Not as per argument premises – eliminate it ]

Answer: A

rhine29388 · Answer

can someone please provide the detailed OE for the given question

MsInvBanker · Answer

I think it is A. Debated a little between A and E. E says biting is effective and that cannot be inferred from the stimulus. A it is.

AdityaHongunti · Answer

Toddlers are not being malicious when they bite people. For example, a child may want a toy, and feel that the person he or she bites is preventing him or her from having it.

author's reasoning : The child is not being malicious ( even if you dont know the meaning, you can understand that it is negative word from the context . Because the author is trying to defend the actions of toddlers from being called something..lets just say malicious- Negative)
why does author say the toddler is not negative when he does something wrong? even though he bites?
he states the reaon in form of example, by stating that when toddlers are PREVENTED from something they bite. So in a sense they are trying to resolve their PROBLEM/OBSTACLE ... note : they do not always bite , instead they do so when faced OBSTACLES(prevention from getting the toy)
basically author's general thinking is - toddler, when faced with an obstacle , resorts to some action, that action cannot be termed as BAD/ NEGATIVE.

The situation as described above most closely conforms to which one of the following generalizations?
(A) Biting people is sometimes a way for toddlers to try to solve problems.- correct - read above explanation.

(B) Toddlers sometimes engage in biting people in order to get attention from adults.- "attention" wrong

(C) Toddlers mistakenly believe that biting people is viewed as acceptable behavior by adults.- "mistaknely believe" they are toddlers for crying out loud. How in the hell would they have beliefs??

(D) Toddlers do not recognize that by biting people they often thwart their own ends.-"ends" again they are todllers...they dont give *** who thinks what...

(E) Resorting to biting people is in some cases an effective way for toddlers to get what they want.-
This may seem like the right choice but there are multiples errors in this:
1. Some cases - The toddlers in our case resort to biting if faced with an OBSTACLE ( a particular obstacle) . This choice does not even mention if there is any obstacle in those cases. "some cases" is too general...
2.effective way- we do not know if toddlers have many ways and they think biting is the effective one...

VerbalBot · Answer

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Toddlers are not being malicious when they bite people. For example

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