Reading Passage Question

The modern mania for psychological testing springs directly from some dark need of the psyche of certain humans to name, to label, to thus stereotype and thereby control. The testing tidal wave began building from little contributory wavelets early in the twentieth century when Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon, French psychologists, introduced their Binet-Simon intelligence scale. To be sure, these scientists’ intent was admirable, to assure that French children would not unfairly be denied an education. But we all know just what road, according to folk wisdom, is paved with good intentions, don’t we?

The wavelets began building to stormier seas over the decades. Robert Woodworth, to satisfy the military’s hunger to know how their soldiers might fare under the combat conditions of World War I, developed one of the first of what were eventually known as “personality inventories.” Inventories—as though one could cunningly separate elements of the marvelously coherent and complex human mind, wrap them up and ribbon them, and stock them on convenience store shelves. Many more tests came hard on the heels of Woodworth’s. Aptitude tests, achievement tests, personality tests, intelligence tests, the California Achievement Tests, the Rorschach inkblot test, and the Wechsler scale.

Who knows what aptitudes humans will discover in themselves tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or when they’re ninety-five? How can we measure achievement with a few multiple-choice questions? Who says if I see Mom’s apple pie in the inkblot I’ve got an Oedipus complex? How can we measure intelligence when no one knows exactly what intelligence is? And what do we get for the money and time spent on all this nonsense? We get labels, pigeonholes to conveniently deposit people in. We get to say, “Johnny isn’t capable of doing that,” so we never expect Johnny to do that, so probably he won’t.

“The modern mania for psychological testing springs directly from”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

Question 1
What is the primary reason that the author objects to psychological testing?

1. It is dangerously biased.
2. It is a waste of money and time.
3. It favors the least imaginative people.
4. It pigeonholes and stereotypes people.
5. It cannot be validated.

Question 2
According to the author, Binet and Simon

1. helped French children get an education.
2. started a dangerous trend.
3. were admirable but ineffective.
4. introduced Robert Woodworth to intelligence testing.
5. believed in intelligence testing but not in personality testing.

Question 3
Based on the passage, all of the following are reasonable inferences EXCEPT

1. No multiple choice test can examine all aspects of a human being’s intelligence and personality.
2. Interpretations of many psychological tests are subjective.
3. No definition of intelligence has been set forth that is agreed upon by all experts.
4. Personality inventories are more valid than intelligence tests.
5. A person’s performance is often influenced by the expectations of others.

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