GRE Question of the Day (November 20)

Verbal

All languages that have exactly six basic color terms describe the same six colors—black, white, red, green, blue, and yellow—corresponding to the primary neural responses revealed in studies of human color perception. In addition, all languages that have only three basic color terms distinguish among black, white, and red. This evidence shows that the way in which the mind recognizes differences among colored objects is not influenced by culture.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

(A) While languages differ in their number of basic color terms, no language has been conclusively determined to have more than 11 such terms.
(B) Every language contains mechanisms by which speakers who perceive subtle differences in hue can describe those differences.
(C) Among cultures employing only three color terms, the word red typically encompasses not only objects that would be called red in English but also those that would be called yellow.
(D) Several languages, such as Vietnamese and Pashto, use a single term to mean both blue and green, but speakers of such languages commonly refer to tree leaves or the sky to resolve ambiguous utterances.
(E) In a study of native speakers of Tarahumara, a language that does not distinguish between blue and green, respondents were less able to identify distinctions among blue and green chips than native speakers of Spanish, which does distinguish between blue and green.

Correct Answer - E - (click and drag your mouse to see the answer)

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