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The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

For nearly a century most psychologists have embraced one view of intelligence. Individuals are born with more or less intelligence potential (I.Q.); this potential is heavily influenced by heredity and difficult to alter; experts in measurement can determine a person's intelligence early in life, currently from paper-and-pencil measures, perhaps eventually from examining the brain in action or even scrutinizing his/her genome. Recently, criticism of this conventional wisdom has mounted. Biologists ask if speaking of a single entity called "intelligence" is coherent and question the validity of measures used to estimate heritability of a trait in humans, who, unlike plants or animals, are not conceived and bred under controlled conditions.

Solution

βœ… Correct Option: 3

We need to find what biologists are specifically questioning about the traditional psychology view of intelligence.

From passage: "Biologists ask if speaking of a single entity called 'intelligence' is coherent and question the validity of measures used to estimate heritability of a trait in humans"

The passage shows: Traditional psychology view -> biologists criticize -> two main questions arise

Step 1: Traditional view = intelligence is inherited, measurable, single thing

Step 2: Biologists challenge this -> ask two specific questions

Step 3: Question 1 = Is intelligence even one single entity?

Step 4: Question 2 = Can we properly measure how it's inherited in humans?


Now we need to find which option captures both criticisms accurately:

🟠 Option 1 -> partial-truth -> only mentions being "born with potential" but misses the two key criticisms about single entity and measuring heritability

🟠 Option 2 -> degree-error -> says "immutable" but passage says "difficult to alter" (not impossible). Also misses the specific criticisms biologists made

🟒 Option 3 -> correct -> captures both main criticisms: questioning intelligence as "single entity" AND questioning "attempts to estimate heritability"

πŸ”΄ Option 4 -> context-shift -> mentions "single entity" correctly but second part "ways in which what is inherited" is confusing and inaccurate - biologists questioned measuring heritability, not inheritance ways

The key confusion students have: Options 3 and 4 both mention "single entity" so they seem similar. But Option 4's second part doesn't match what biologists actually questioned. They questioned measuring heritability, not inheritance itself.

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