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Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the author's position.
A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionary's careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a country's currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.
  • a)
    Dictionary definitions are like 'gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.
  • b)
    Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for 'meaning in use' will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers 'fix' meanings.
  • c)
    Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The 'meaning in use' theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.
  • d)
    The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.
Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?
Most Upvoted Answer
Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choo...
After reading the above passage about Summary, we can infer that, the definition of a word comes from the various meanings in exchange. Meanings are dynamic as they change with exchange. Option C is the right answer.
Community Answer
Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choo...
Explanation:

Meaning is dynamic:
- The author argues that language is fluid and dynamic, constantly changing to fit different contexts.
- This contrasts with the idea of dictionary definitions, which are seen as fixed and rigid.

Definitions are static:
- The author suggests that the meaning of words is not determined by dictionary definitions but by how they are used in everyday exchanges.
- This understanding helps us see that definitions are abstracted from the dynamic exchange of language.

Meaning in use theory:
- The "meaning is use" doctrine emphasizes the importance of looking at how words are used to determine their meaning.
- This theory challenges the idea that dictionary definitions are the ultimate authority on word meanings.

Exchange and use:
- The author uses the analogy of a free-floating currency to explain how words derive their value from the exchange in language.
- The lexicographer then captures this value in definitions, which are based on the dynamic nature of language.
In summary, the author's position is that meanings of words are dynamic and fluid, determined by their use in exchanges rather than fixed definitions in dictionaries. This understanding helps us appreciate the dynamic nature of language and challenges the idea of rigid definitions.
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Direction: Answer the given question based on the following passage.Cultural contrasts are exciting for tourists. They pay to experience them. But for those who have to live and work in a foreign culture, the contrasts can be difficult, confusing, and painful. Differences are hard to live with.Not everybody believes that cultural differences matter. 'We are all human beings,' an Iowan businessman declared at a meeting on cross-cultural business interacts, 'Japanese, Americans, or Germans, underneath we are all just the same. We cry the same tears, we smile the same smiles, and we bleed the same blood.' He, like so many others, believes that in the face of love and profit people are all the same.Sameness was also on the mind of the American student when she walked into an Amsterdam shop to ask the way to the Anne Frank house. Still shocked she later told how the woman in the shop had refused to answer. She had suggested she buy a map! According to the student, such a rude response was unheard of in the US.This student had failed to recognize that not all people are the same. Some people consider an American who demands directions in a loud voice rude. Likewise, Japanese and German business people may not appreciate 'Just call me John', 'a deal is a deal', 'get to the point', 'I am what I am', or any other expression that the Iowan businessman customarily uses. Not recognizing such differences can cost dearly, in emotional energy, and possibly lost deals.There is a need to focus on the differences that exist between the people of Europe and the US. It offers the transnationals two metaphors as an aid for coping with those differences, namely the citadel for European society with its firm roots in tradition, and the caravan for the less established and more fluid society of the United States. It can well be predicted that people who see the transatlantic contrasts through these metaphors will avoid much confusion, pain, and, who knows, some cost. Here is a sample.A few years ago an American sales team made a presentation to the manufacturing team of an Italian tractor company. The Americans had prepared themselves thoroughly. They came right to the point, provided illustrations with slides, had anticipated all conceivable questions about their products, and could counter all objections. Afterward, the Americans congratulated each other on a job well done. They did not, however, get the sales contract.An executive who is familiar with cross-cultural business dealings attended the meeting. He noted: 'The Americans came to the point too quickly. They alienated the Italians with the style of their presentation. The Italians operate in a business environment where personal relations are crucial; they want to get to know the people they deal with. The Americans would have done better to take the Italians out for a long business conversation over lunch with good food and wine.'Misunderstandings like this one are all too common. One would expect that, with the increasing internationalization of politics and business, sensitivity to cultural differences would grow, and that at the same time such differences would become less pronounced. Yet neither expectation is fulfilled. Cultural differences are real and pervasive, and we have learned that frequent contact does not guarantee mutual understanding. (Excerpted from The Caravan and The Citadel by Arjo Klamer)Why does the author use the metaphors of 'citadel' and 'caravan' and what purpose do they serve?

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Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the authors position.A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionarys careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a countrys currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.a)Dictionary definitions are like gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.b)Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for meaning in use will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers fix meanings.c)Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The meaning in use theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.d)The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?
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Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the authors position.A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionarys careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a countrys currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.a)Dictionary definitions are like gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.b)Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for meaning in use will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers fix meanings.c)Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The meaning in use theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.d)The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? for CAT 2024 is part of CAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the CAT exam syllabus. Information about Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the authors position.A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionarys careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a countrys currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.a)Dictionary definitions are like gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.b)Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for meaning in use will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers fix meanings.c)Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The meaning in use theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.d)The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for CAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the authors position.A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionarys careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a countrys currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.a)Dictionary definitions are like gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.b)Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for meaning in use will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers fix meanings.c)Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The meaning in use theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.d)The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?.
Solutions for Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the authors position.A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionarys careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a countrys currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.a)Dictionary definitions are like gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.b)Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for meaning in use will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers fix meanings.c)Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The meaning in use theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.d)The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for CAT. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for CAT Exam by signing up for free.
Here you can find the meaning of Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the authors position.A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionarys careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a countrys currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.a)Dictionary definitions are like gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.b)Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for meaning in use will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers fix meanings.c)Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The meaning in use theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.d)The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the authors position.A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionarys careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a countrys currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.a)Dictionary definitions are like gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.b)Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for meaning in use will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers fix meanings.c)Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The meaning in use theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.d)The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the authors position.A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionarys careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a countrys currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.a)Dictionary definitions are like gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.b)Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for meaning in use will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers fix meanings.c)Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The meaning in use theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.d)The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the authors position.A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionarys careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a countrys currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.a)Dictionary definitions are like gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.b)Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for meaning in use will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers fix meanings.c)Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The meaning in use theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.d)The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice Direction: The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best captures the authors position.A fundamental property of language is that it is slippery and messy and more liquid than solid, a gelatinous mass that changes shape to fit. As Wittgenstein would remind us, "usage has no sharp boundary." Oftentimes, the only way to determine the meaning of a word is to examine how it is used. This insight is often described as the "meaning is use" doctrine. There are differences between the "meaning is use" doctrine and a dictionary-first theory of meaning. "The dictionarys careful fixing of words to definitions, like butterflies pinned under glass, can suggest that this is how language works. The definitions can seem to ensure and fix the meaning of words, just as the gold standard can back a countrys currency." What Wittgenstein found in the circulation of ordinary language, however, was a free-floating currency of meaning. The value of each word arises out of the exchange. The lexicographer abstracts a meaning from that exchange, which is then set within the conventions of the dictionary definition.a)Dictionary definitions are like gold standards" - artificial, theoretical and dogmatic. Actual meaning of words is their free- exchange value.b)Language is already slippery; given this, accounting for meaning in use will only exasperate the problem. That is why lexicographers fix meanings.c)Meaning is dynamic; definitions are static. The meaning in use theory helps us understand that definitions of words are called from their meaning in exchange and use and not vice versa.d)The meaning of words in dictionaries is clear, fixed and less dangerous and ambiguous than the meaning that arises when words are exchanged between people.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice CAT tests.
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