PSAT Writing and Language Practice Question 16
Question: 16
A Pragmatic Approach
William James's Pragmatism (1907) has been called the 1 greatest and best book of American philosophy. The array of lectures that would become Pragmatism 2 encompass James's adaptation of the great Pragmatists—such as Charles Peirce—and adds a uniquely human element to the philosophical movement. 3 His work in psychology and religion laid the foundation for how theoretical work intersects with the concrete work of living.
In a way, pragmatism turns the philosophical endeavor on its head and 4 attacked the importance of its big questions. Philosophy is traditionally concerned with the big questions: What is the meaning of life? Are there many worlds like this one or only this one? What if none of us exist? Pragmatism is concerned with these questions as well, but it is equally concerned with another question: So what? Pragmatism is concerned, with what difference a particular truth means in the world 5 with practice.
Let's consider a basic example. Say you are stressed about an upcoming math test. You're afraid you might not get the grade you want, and the fear of it 6 keeps you up at night. Rather than asking, "Will you do well on this test?", the Pragmatists will want to know instead "What difference does it make whether you do well or poorly on the test?" If your answer is, "Well, no difference, I guess," then you've got 7 one. If your answer is, "I won't be able to get an A in the class!" then you've got another and a whole other series of questions. By constantly asking "So what?", the pragmatic approach helps to situate problems in their practice and their consequences rather than 8 abstracting.
The approach is especially interesting for life's big questions. One of James's particular favorites was, "Is life fated or free?" In other words, do we make our own choices, or are our lives completely predetermined? Well, for James, the question is an interesting but fundamentally irrelevant one. 9 Whether there is a cosmic order to our lives or not, we still have to live them responsibly, so it doesn't 10 differ whether our lives are "fated or free," because the distinction won't create practical differences.
These are two relatively simple examples of the pragmatic method in action, but give it a try yourself. Next time something is really stressing you out, ask the simple question: What difference does it make if that does happen? You may find that the real consequences are what help you to see through the problem, establish a plan, or 11 forgot about the issue entirely.
If the punctuation were adjusted accordingly the best placement for the underlined portion would be
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Note the question! The question asks where the underlined portion should be placed, so it tests consistency of ideas. The underlined portion must be consistent with the ideas that come both before and after it. The beginning of the sentence currently says Pragmatism is concerned and then is followed by a comma, indicating that the next phrase is a separate idea. This doesn't make sense because an idea (pragmatism) can't be concerned. The word with needs to follow concerned, because the phrase concerned with means "focused on," and an idea can be focused on something. Thus, the phrase must follow concerned in order for the sentence to provide a precise meaning. The correct answer is (C).