Question

from democracy and education

1
the most notable distinction between living and inanimate beings is that the former maintain themselves by renewal. a stone when struck resists. . . . it remains outwardly unchanged. otherwise, it is shattered into smaller bits. never does the stone attempt to react in such a way that it may maintain itself against the blow, much less so as to render the blow a contributing factor to its own continued action. while the living thing may easily be crushed by superior force, it none the less tries to turn the energies which act upon it into means of its own further existence. if it cannot do so, it does not just split into smaller pieces (at least in the higher forms of life), but loses its identity as a living thing.

2
as long as it endures, it struggles to use surrounding energies in its own behalf. it uses light, air, moisture, and the material of soil. to say that it uses them is to say that it turns them into means of its own conservation. as long as it is growing, the energy it expends in thus turning the environment to account is more than compensated for by the return it gets: it grows. understanding the word \control\ in this sense, it may be said that a living being is one that subjugates and controls for its own continued activity the energies that would otherwise use it up. life is a self - renewing process through action upon the environment.

(from democracy and education by john dewey)

does the author succeed in supporting the claim that living beings maintain themselves through renewal?

1. no, because he focuses most of his explanation on inanimate objects rather than on living beings.

1. no, because his examples are unclear in distinguishing between inanimate objects and living beings.

1. yes, because he proves that living beings understand their environments better than inanimate objects do.

1. yes, because he gives examples that contrast the ways inanimate objects and living beings react to external forces.

Explanation:

To determine the answer, we analyze the author's argument:

• Option 1: The author does not focus most on inanimate objects; he uses them to contrast with living beings, so this is incorrect.
• Option 2: The examples (stone vs. living things) are clear in distinguishing, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: The author's focus is on self - renewal through reacting to external forces, not on understanding environments, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: The author contrasts how inanimate objects (like a stone) and living beings react to external forces (living beings use external energies for self - renewal, inanimate objects don't), which supports the claim that living beings maintain themselves through renewal.

Answer:

1. Yes, because he gives examples that contrast the ways inanimate objects and living beings react to external forces.