Are You a Machine of Many Parts?
1. What will future historians remember about the impact of science during the Last decade of the 20th century? They will not be much concerned with many of the marvels that currently preoccupy us such as the miraculous increase in the power of home computers and the unexpected growth of the Internet Nor win they dwell much on global warming, the loss of biodiversity and other examples of our penchant for destruction. Instead, the end of the 20th century will be recognized as the time when, for better or worse, science began to bring about a fundamental shift in our perception of ourselves.
2. It will be the third time that science has forced us to re-evaluate who we are. The first time, of course, was the revolution that began with Copernicus in 1543 and continued with Kepler, Galileo and Newton. Despite the Church's opposition, we came to realize that the Earth does not lie at the centre of the universe. Instead, we gradually found we live on a small planet on the edge of a minor galaxy, circling one star in a universe that contains billions of others. Our unique position in the universe was gone forever.
3. A few centuries later, we were moved even further from stage centre. The Darwinian revolution removed us from our position as a unique creation of God. Instead, we discovered we were just another part of the animal kingdom proud to have “a miserable ape for a grand-father", as Thomas Huxley put it in 1860. We know now just how dose to the apes we arc — over 90% of our genes are the same as those of the chimpanzee.
4. Increasing knowledge of our own genetics is one of the driving forces in the third great conceptual shift that will soon take place. Others are the growing knowledge of the way our minds work, our new ability to use knowledge of the nervous system to design drugs that affect specific states of mind and the creation of sophisticated scanners which enable us to see what is happening inside our brains. In the third revolution, we are taking our own selves to pieces and finding the parts which make up the machine that is us.
5. Much of the new knowledge from genetics, molecular biology and the neuro-sciences is esoteric. But its cultural impact is already running ahead of science. People begin to see themselves not as wholes with a moral centre but the result of the combined action of parts for which they have little responsibility.
6. It’s Nobody’s Fault is the title of a popular American book on “difficult” children. Many different children, the book explains, are not actually difficult but are suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). There is nothing wrong with them or the way they have been brought up. Rather, the part of the brain which controls attention is short of a particular neurotransmitter. *'
7. ADD is currently the world’s fastest growing psychological problem. In the United States, a survey showed that 1.5m children between the ages of five and eighteen were being treated with a drug, Ritalin, for the disorder. Since then the number taking the drug is believed to have doubled.
8. You might, as many people do, question the way in which the disorder has been diagnosed on such a staggering scale. But that is not the point. The cultural shift is that people are not responsible for their disorders, only for obtaining treatment for the parts of them that have gone wrong.
9. The more we know about the parts of ourselves, the more cures for our defects will appear. Prozac is one example. The best-selling Listening to Prozac claimed the drug "can transform pessimists into optimists, turn loners into extroverts". And Prozac, the book explained, “was not so much discovered as planfully created, through the efforts of a large pharmaceutical firm ... the likely result of this form of research is not medicines that correct particular illnesses but medicines that affect clusters of functions in the human brain."
10. Even when a treatment is not to hand, the notion that we are made of “clusters of functions" remains strong. Genetic analysis supports this view. A gene linked to alcoholism has been located and a Gallup poll has revealed that the great majority of Americans consider alcoholism to be a disease. There are claims of genes too for obesity, homosexuality and even for laziness.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Main idea question - asks what the writer sees as the most important scientific progress
Correct Answer: D
Why this is correct: This is correct because the writer clearly says the key achievement is a fundamental shift in our perception of ourselves. This means people gained new knowledge and understanding about themselves, not technology or environmental control.
Passage Reference: They will not be much concerned with many of the marvels that currently preoccupy us such as the miraculous increase in the power of home computers and the unexpected growth of the Internet Nor win they dwell much on global warming, the loss of biodiversity and other examples of our penchant for destruction. Instead, the end of the 20th century will be recognized as the time when, for better or worse, science began to bring about a fundamental shift in our perception of ourselves.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'a fundamental shift in our perception of ourselves' = Option: 'People's new knowledge of themselves'
Tips: For main idea questions, focus on what the writer emphasizes as most important, not what is just mentioned.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Students may choose this because computers are mentioned. However, the passage says historians will not be much concerned with computer power. This is a context shift trap.
- B: The Internet is mentioned, but only as something historians will not focus on. This is a reverse meaning trap.
- C: Global warming is mentioned, but again the writer says historians will not dwell much on it. This is a context shift trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- perception = the way we see or understand something
- fundamental = very important and basic
Question Focus: Detail question - asks what Copernicus discovered
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: Despite the Church's opposition, we came to realize that the Earth does not lie at the centre of the universe. Instead, we gradually found we live on a small planet on the edge of a minor galaxy, circling one star in a universe that contains billions of others.
Why this is correct: This is correct because the passage directly states that Copernicus helped us realize the Earth does not lie at the centre of the universe.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'Earth does not lie at the centre of the universe' = Option: 'The Earth does not lie at the centre of the universe'
Tips: When a question asks about a discovery, look for a clear statement of what was realized or found.
Why the other options are wrong:
- B: The passage mentions the Church's opposition, but it does not say Copernicus discovered the Church was wrong about history. This is a Not Given trap.
- C: Living on a small planet is mentioned later as a result, not as Copernicus's discovery itself. This is a partial truth trap.
- D: The passage says our unique position was gone forever, which is the opposite. This is a contradiction trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- centre = middle
- universe = everything that exists in space
Question Focus: Detail question - asks what Darwin discovered
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: The Darwinian revolution removed us from our position as a unique creation of God. Instead, we discovered we were just another part of the animal kingdom proud to have 'a miserable ape for a grand-father". We know now just how dose to the apes we arc - over 90% of our genes are the same as those of the chimpanzee.
Why this is correct: This is correct because the passage explains that humans are part of the animal kingdom and closely related to apes, meaning they share a common ancestor.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'just another part of the animal kingdom' = Option: 'shared a common ancestor'
Tips: Do not choose answers based on strong examples or quotes. Focus on the scientific conclusion.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: This is the opposite of what Darwin discovered. This is a contradiction trap.
- C: The phrase about a "miserable ape" is a quotation, not a discovery. This is a context shift trap.
- D: The passage says over 90%, not that humans and chimpanzees are nearly identical. This is a partial truth trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- ancestor = a family member from the past
- unique = one of a kind
Question Focus: Detail question - identifying what is NOT a driving force
Correct Answer: C
Passage Reference: Increasing knowledge of our own genetics is one of the driving forces in the third great conceptual shift that will soon take place. Others are the growing knowledge of the way our minds work, our new ability to use knowledge of the nervous system to design drugs that affect specific states of mind and the creation of sophisticated scanners which enable us to see what is happening inside our brains.
Why this is correct: This is correct because the passage mentions scanners that enable us to see inside the brain, not knowledge of how to use scanners. That extra detail is not stated.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'the creation of sophisticated scanners which enable us to see' = Option: 'knowledge of how to use sophisticated scanners'
Tips: For NOT questions, tick off each option that is clearly mentioned and choose the one that adds or changes meaning.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: This is directly mentioned as a driving force. This is a direct match.
- B: The passage clearly includes growing knowledge of how our minds work. This is a direct match.
- D: Designing drugs that affect states of mind is explicitly stated. This is a direct match.
Key Vocabulary:
- sophisticated = advanced
- conceptual = related to ideas
Question Focus: Main idea question - asks the main idea of a book
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: Many different children, the book explains, are not actually difficult but are suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). There is nothing wrong with them or the way they have been brought up. Rather, the part of the brain which controls attention is short of a particular neurotransmitter.
Why this is correct: This is correct because the book argues that problematic behaviour is caused by ADD, not by the child or upbringing.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'are suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder' = Option: 'ADD is the problem'
Tips: For book main ideas, ask: what message is the writer trying to prove?
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: This is a detail, not the main idea. This is a partial truth trap.
- C: The passage mentions a lack of a neurotransmitter, but this is explanation, not the main idea. This is a detail trap.
- D: The passage says there is nothing wrong with the way they have been brought up, which is the opposite. This is a contradiction trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- disorder = illness or problem
- neurotransmitter = chemical messenger in the brain
Question Focus: Detail question - asks about numbers
Correct Answer: C
Passage Reference: In the United States, a survey showed that 1.5m children between the ages of five and eighteen were being treated with a drug, Ritalin, for the disorder. Since then the number taking the drug is believed to have doubled.
Why this is correct: This is correct because 1.5 million doubled means about 3 million children aged 5 to 18.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'the number taking the drug is believed to have doubled' = Option: '3 million'
Tips: Always calculate numbers carefully when words like doubled or increased are used.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: The number is not less. It increased. This is a contradiction trap.
- B: This was the old number, not the current estimate. This is a time/tense trap.
- D: The passage talks about children aged 5 to 18, not teenagers only. This is a partial truth trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- survey = study asking people questions
- doubled = became twice as many
Question Focus: Inference question - asks what reflects the cultural shift
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: But that is not the point. The cultural shift is that people are not responsible for their disorders, only for obtaining treatment for the parts of them that have gone wrong.
Why this is correct: This is correct because seeing disorders as medical problems leads to more diagnoses, which reflects the cultural shift described.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'people are not responsible for their disorders' = Option: 'diagnosed to be suffering from mental disorders'
Tips: Inference questions require you to think about results or effects, not just repeat a sentence.
Why the other options are wrong:
- B: The passage says people are not responsible for their disorders, but this describes the belief, not the visible shift. This is a context shift trap.
- C: Seeking treatment is mentioned, but it is not the main reflection of the shift. This is a partial truth trap.
- D: Questioning diagnoses is mentioned as something people do, but the writer says that is not the point. This is a reverse meaning trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- cultural shift = change in how society thinks
- responsible = to blame
Question Focus: Detail question - asks what Prozac is
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: Prozac is one example. The best-selling Listening to Prozac claimed the drug "can transform pessimists into optimists, turn loners into extroverts".
Why this is correct: This is correct because the passage clearly calls Prozac the drug, which means it is a medicine.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'the drug' = Option: 'a medicine'
Tips: Pay attention to grammar clues like 'the drug' which clearly define what something is.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Listening to Prozac is the book, not Prozac itself. This is a context shift trap.
- C: There is no mention of Prozac being a group of people. This is a Not Given trap.
- D: Prozac treats disorders but is not a disorder itself. This is a context shift trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- drug = medicine
- transform = change completely
Question Focus: Detail question - asks what genetic analysis confirmed
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: Genetic analysis supports this view. A gene linked to alcoholism has been located and a Gallup poll has revealed that the great majority of Americans consider alcoholism to be a disease.
Why this is correct: This is correct because the passage clearly says a gene linked to alcoholism has been located.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'gene linked to alcoholism has been located' = Option: 'responsible for alcoholism'
Tips: Only choose answers that are clearly confirmed, not just suggested or claimed.
Why the other options are wrong:
- B: Genes for obesity are only mentioned as claims, not confirmed. This is a Not Given trap.
- C: Homosexuality is mentioned as a claim, not proven. This is a Not Given trap.
- D: Laziness is also mentioned as a claim only. This is a Not Given trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- genetic analysis = study of genes
- located = found
General Tips:
- MCQ questions follow passage order. Use the location of the previous answer to find the next one faster.
- Do not choose options just because they use the same words as the passage. Always check the meaning.
- For NOT questions, first identify all options that are clearly stated in the passage.
- Watch out for numbers and time words like doubled, since then, or currently.
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