题目
Researchers asked volunteers to imagine they were running a five-kilometer race against 50 people and then against 500 people, races in each of which the top 10 percent would receive a $1,000 prize. Asked about the effort they would apply in the respective cases, the volunteers indicated, on average, that they would run slower in the race against the greater number of people. A likely explanation of this result is that those of the volunteers who were most comparatively inclined—those who most tended to compare themselves with others in the social environment—determined (perhaps unconsciously) that extreme effort would not be worthwhile in the 500-competitor race.
Which of the following would, if known to be true, most help justify the explanation offered above?
选项
A.The volunteers who were most comparatively inclined were also those that had the greatest desire to win a $1,000 prize.
B.The volunteers who were the least comparatively inclined had no greater desire to win the $1,000 than those who were the most comparatively inclined.
C.The volunteers who were most comparatively inclined were likely to indicate that they would run the two races at the same speed.
D.The most comparatively inclined volunteers believed that they were significantly less likely to finish in the top 10 percent in the race against 500 than in the race against 50.
E.Volunteers were chosen for participation in the study on the basis of answers to various questions designed to measure the degree to which the volunteers were comparatively inclined.
解析
### 1、题目翻译
研究人员让志愿者想象他们分别在与50人以及与500人进行一场五公里赛跑,在这两种比赛中,前10%的人都能获得1000美元奖金。当被问及在这两种情况下他们会付出多大努力时,志愿者们平均表示,在与更多人(500人)比赛时他们会跑得更慢。对此结果的一个可能解释是,那些比较倾向最强的志愿者(即那些最容易在社会环境中与他人进行比较的人)(也许是无意识地)认定在500人的比赛中付出极大努力是不值得的。
### 2、核心论点及正确答案方向
- **核心论点**
- **论点**:在与500人比赛时志愿者平均表示会跑得更慢。
- **论据**:那些比较倾向最强的志愿者(也许无意识地)认定在500人的比赛中付出极大努力不值得。
- **正确答案方向**
- 正确答案应该能够为“比较倾向最强的志愿者认为在500人比赛中不值得付出极大努力”这一解释提供进一步的支持,可能从比较倾向强的志愿者的某些认知或行为等方面来强化该解释。
### 3、各选项分析
- **A选项**
- **内容翻译**:比较倾向最强的志愿者也是那些最渴望赢得1000美元奖金的人。
- **分析**:这与他们在500人比赛中不付出极大努力相矛盾,因为如果最渴望奖金应该更努力,而不是跑得更慢,该选项起到了削弱作用,而不是加强作用,所以A选项错误。
- **B选项**
- **内容翻译**:比较倾向最弱的志愿者对赢得1000美元奖金的渴望并不比比较倾向最强的志愿者更强烈。
- **分析**:该选项比较的是比较倾向最弱和最强的志愿者对奖金的渴望程度,与为何比较倾向强的志愿者在500人比赛中不努力这一核心问题无关,无法加强,所以B选项错误。
- **C选项**
- **内容翻译**:比较倾向最强的志愿者可能表示他们会以相同速度跑这两场比赛。
- **分析**:这与题干中说在与更多人比赛时会跑得更慢相矛盾,不能支持所给的解释,所以C选项错误。
- **D选项**
- **内容翻译**:比较倾向最强的志愿者认为他们在500人的比赛中进入前10%的可能性明显低于在50人的比赛中。
- **分析**:这就合理地解释了为什么这些比较倾向强的志愿者会觉得在500人比赛中不值得付出极大努力,因为他们觉得自己在这场比赛中获得奖金的概率低,从而加强了题干中的解释,所以D选项正确。
- **E选项**
- **内容翻译**:志愿者是根据旨在衡量其比较倾向程度的各种问题的答案来被挑选参与研究的。
- **分析**:该选项只是说明了志愿者的挑选方式,与比较倾向强的志愿者在500人比赛中不努力的原因无关,无法加强,所以E选项错误。
综上所述,正确答案是D。