Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that…
2023
Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be. We weep at what exceeds our expectations in serious matters; we laugh at what disappoints our expectations in trifles. We shed tears from sympathy with real and necessary distress; as we burst into laughter from want of sympathy with that which is unreasonable and unnecessary. Tears are the natural and involuntary response of the mind overcome by some sudden and violent emotions. Laughter is the same sort of convulsive and involuntary movement, occasioned by mere surprise or contrast.
The serious is the stress which the mind lays upon the expectations of a given order of events and the weight attached to them. When this stress is increased beyond its usual intensity and strains the feelings by the violent opposition of good and bad, it becomes the tragic. The ludicrous is the unexpected relaxing of this stress below its usual intensity, by an abrupt transposition of ideas that takes the mind by surprise and startles it into lively sense of pleasure.
Which option names the two actions that the opening sentence attributes exclusively to humans?
Answer: B. laugh or weep — ConceptIn a literal-matching question, identify the exact actions named in the cited sentence and compare that set with the actions named by each option. The…
- A.
Perceive emotional changes in humans
- B.
laugh or weep
- C.
evoke sorrow or laughter in humans
- D.
respond strongly to external stimuli
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
In a literal-matching question, identify the exact actions named in the cited sentence and compare that set with the actions named by each option. The task is about which option contains both action names, not about replacing the sentence’s conjunction.
Application
The opening sentence names two actions: laughing and weeping.
Scanning the offered values shows that “laugh or weep” is the only one that names both of those actions.
The other values describe observing emotion, causing emotion, or reacting generally, rather than naming the cited pair of actions.
Contrast
Perceiving emotional changes in humans names observation of another person’s emotional state.
Evoking sorrow or laughter in humans names causing an emotional response in another person.
Responding strongly to external stimuli names the intensity of an organism’s reaction to environmental input.
Result
Therefore, the option that names the two cited actions is “laugh or weep.”