Reading Comprehension Quiz (Steven Pinker, “Words Don’t Mean What They Mean”)

Reading Comprehension Quiz

Steven Pinker, “Words Don’t Mean What They Mean”

Read “Words Don’t Mean What They Mean” and check your comprehension by answering the following questions. Click the submit button when finished.

Question Why does Pinker claim that people engage in the hypocrisy of saying one thing but meaning another?

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Question Pinker uses examples of “sexual come-ons.” Why might this particular type of situation lead to indirect communication?

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Question What role does Pinker suggest that vagueness in communication plays in our daily life?

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Question In paragraph 6, what metaphor is Pinker utilizing to convey the idea of information transfer in communication?

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Question Pinker suggests that lines like “Do you think you could pass the salt”? and “If you could pass the salt that would be awesome” are

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Question Pinker notes that when people are being polite to waitresses, servers, drivers, etc., they are doing it because

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Question Why might Pinker have used the Tootsie and Seinfeld references in his article?

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Question Pinker writes the question “So how do lobbyists in Gucci Gulch bribe legislators today”? What does Pinker presume in this question?

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