Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions: To avoid the…
2026
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions:
To avoid the various foolish opinions to which mankind is prone, no superhuman brain is required. A few simple rules will keep you free, not from all errors, but from silly errors. If the matter is one that can be settled by observation, make the observation yourself. Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than man, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open while he counted. Thinking that you know when in fact you do not is a bad mistake, to which we are all prone. I believe myself that hedgehogs eat black beetles, because I have been told that they do; but if I was writing a book on the habits of hedgehogs, I should not commit myself until I had been one enjoying this diet. Aristotle, however, was less cautious. Ancient and medieval writers know all about unicorns and salamanders; not one of them thought it necessary to avoid dogmatic statements about them because he had never seen one of them.
The author implies that:
- A.
he never saw hedgehogs eating black beetles
- B.
a book on the habits of hedgehogs must be written by someone
- C.
the eating patterns of hedgehogs need to be studied
- D.
he saw hedgehogs eating black beetles
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
The passage emphasizes the importance of personal observation over hearsay. The author states that while he believes hedgehogs eat black beetles because he has been told so, he would not commit this to a book until he had personally experienced the diet himself. This implies that he has not yet observed this behavior firsthand, making reliance on second-hand information the key point of the text.