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Visual recognition involves storing and retrieving memories.

Neural activity, tr
iggered by the eye, forms an image in the brains memory system that constitutes an
internal representation of the viewed object. When an object is encountered aga
in, it is matched with its internal representation and thereby recognized. Contr
oversy surrounds the question of whether recognition is a parallel, one-step pro
cess or a serial, step-by-step one. Psychologists of the Gestalt school maintain
that objects are recognized as wholes in a parallel procedure: the internal rep
resentation is matched with the retinal image in a single operation. Other psych
ologists have proposed that internal representation features are matched seriall
y with an objects features. Although some experiments show that, as an object beco
mes familiar, its internal representation becomes more holistic and the recognit
ion process correspondingly more parallel, the weight of evidence seems to suppo
rt the serial hypothesis, at least for objects that are not notably simple and f
amiliar.
17.
The author is primarily concerned with
(A) explaining how the brain receives images
(B) synthesizing hypotheses of visual recognition
(C) examining the evidence supporting the serial recognition hypothesis
(D) discussing visual recognition and some hypotheses proposed to explain it
(E) reporting on recent experiments dealing with memory systems and their relati
onship to neural activity
18.
According to the passage, Gestalt psychologists make which of the follow
ing suppositions about visual recognition?
I.
A retinal image is in exactly the same forms as its internal representat
ion.
II.
An object is recognized as a whole without any need for analysis into co
mponent parts.
III.
The matching of an object with its internal representation occurs in onl
y one step.
(A) II only
(B) III only
(C) I and III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III
19.
It can be inferred from the passage that the matching process in visual
recognition is
(A) not a neural activity
(B) not possible when an object is viewed for the very first time
(C) not possible if a feature of a familiar object is changed in some way
(D) only possible when a retinal image is received in the brain as a unitary who
le
(E) now fully understood as a combination of the serial and parallel processes
20.
It terms of its tone and form, the passage can best be characterized as
(A) a biased exposition
(B) a speculative study
(C) a dispassionate presentation
(D) an indignant denial
(E) a dogmatic explanation
In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement, historians have focused
a great deal of attention in recent years on determining more accurately the st
atus of women in various periods. Although much has been accomplished for the mo
dern period, premodern cultures have proved more difficult: sources are restrict
ed in number, fragmentary, difficult to interpret, and often contradictory. Thus
it is not particularly surprising that some earlier scholarship concerning such
cultures has so far gone unchallenged. An example is Johann Bachofens 1861 treati
se on Amazons, women-ruled societies of questionable existence contemporary with
ancient Greece.
Starting from the premise that mythology and legend preserve at least a nucleus
of historical fact, Bachofen argued that women were dominant in many ancient soc
ieties. His work was based on a comprehensive survey of references in the ancien

t sources to Amazonian and other societies with matrilineal customssocieties in wh


ich descent and property rights are traced through the female line. Some support
for his theory can be found in evidence such as that drawn from Herodotus, the
Greek historian of the fifth century B. C., who speaks of an Amazonian society, the
Sauromatae, where the women hunted and fought in wars. A woman in this society w
as not allowed to marry until she had killed a person in battle.
Nonetheless, this assumption that the first recorders of ancient myths have pres
erved facts is problematic. If one begins by examining why ancients refer to Ama
zons, it becomes clear that ancient Greek descriptions of such societies were me
ant not so much to represent observed historical factreal Amazonian societiesbut rat
her to offer moral lessons on the supposed outcome of womens rule in their own societ
. The Amazons were often characterized, for example, as the equivalents of giant
s and centaurs, enemies to be slain by Greek heroes. Their customs were presente
d not as those of a respectable society, but as the very antitheses of ordinary
Greek practices.
Thus, I would argue, the purpose of accounts of the Amazons for their male Greek
recorders was didactic, to teach both male and female Greeks that all-female gr
oups, formed by withdrawal from traditional society, are destructive and dangero
us. Myths about the Amazons were used as arguments for the male-dominated status
quo, in which groups composed exclusively of either sex were not permitted to s
egregate themselves permanently from society. Bachofen was thus misled in his re
liance on myths for information about the status of women. The sources that will
probably tell contemporary historians most about women in the ancient world are
such social documents as gravestones, wills, and marriage contracts. Studies of
such documents have already begun to show how mistaken we are when we try to de
rive our picture of the ancient world exclusively from literary sources, especia
lly myths.
21.
The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) compare competing new approaches to understanding the role of women in ancie
nt societies
(B) investigate the ramifications of Bachofens theory about the dominance of women
in ancient societies
(C) explain the burgeoning interest among historians in determining the actual s
tatus of women in various societies
(D) analyze the nature of Amazonian society and uncover similarities between it
and the Greek world
(E) criticize the value of ancient myths in determining the status of women in a
ncient societies
22.
All of the following are stated by the author as problems connected with
the sources for knowledge of premodern cultures EXCEPT:
(A) partial completeness
(B) restricted accessibility
(C) difficulty of interpretation
(D) limited quantity
(E) tendency toward contradiction
23.
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the myths
recorded by the ancient Greeks?
I.
They sometimes included portrayals of women holding positions of power.
II.
They sometimes contained elaborate explanations of inheritance customs.
III.
They comprise almost all of the material available to historians about a
ncient Greece.
(A) I only
(B) III only
(C) I and III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III
24.
Which of the following is presented in the passage as evidence supportin
g the authors view of the ancient Greeks descriptions of the Amazons?
(A) The requirement that Sauromatae women kill in battle before marrying
(B) The failure of historians to verify that women were ever governors of ancien

t societies
(C) The classing of Amazons with giants and centaurs
(D) The well-established unreliability of Herodotus as a source of information a
bout ancient societies
(E) The recent discovery of ancient societies with matrilineal customs
25.
It can be inferred from the passage that the probable reactions of many
males in ancient Greece to the idea of a society ruled by women could best chara
cterized as
(A) confused and dismayed
(B) wary and hostile
(C) cynical and disinterested
(D) curious but fearful
(E) excited but anxious
26.
The author suggests that the main reason for the persisting influence of
Bachofens work is that
(A) feminists have shown little interest in ancient societies
(B) Bachofens knowledge of Amazonian culture is unparalleled
(C) reliable information about the ancient world is difficult to acquire
(D) ancient societies show the best evidence of women in positions of power
(E) historians have been primarily interested in the modern period
27.
The authors attitude toward Bachofens treatise is best described as one of
(A) qualified approval
(B) profound ambivalence
(C) studied neutrality
(D) pointed disagreement
(E) unmitigated hostility

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