Question

in this excerpt from reclaiming conversation: the power of talk in a digital age, author sherry turkle relates her experience working with students at holbrooke, a middle school in new york.
in virtual worlds, you can face challenging encounters—with scoundrels and wizards and spells—that you know for sure will work out in the end. or you can die and be reborn. real people, with their unpredictable ways, can seem difficult to contend with after one has spent a stretch in simulation.
from the early days, i saw that computers offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship and then, as the programs got really good, the illusion of friendship without the demands of intimacy. because, face - to - face, people ask for things that computers never do. with people, things go best if you pay close attention and know how to put yourself in someone elses shoes. real people demand responses to what they are feeling. and not just any response.
time in simulation gets children ready for more time in simulation. time with people teaches children how to be in a relationship, beginning with the ability to have a conversation. and this brings me back to the anxieties of the holbrooke teachers. as the holbrooke middle schoolers began to spend more time texting, they lost practice in face - to - face talk. that means lost practice in the empathic arts—learning to make eye contact, to listen, and to attend to others. conversation is on the path toward the experience of intimacy, community, and communion.
what are two central ideas of the text?
choose 2 answers
a computers and simulations are excellent substitutions for the relationships and friendships that face - to - face interactions provide.
b spending too much time in simulated environments can make real interactions with people seem too challenging and demanding.
c teachers at holbrooke were anxious about their students lack of conversational skills in both face - to - face and online interactions.
d face - to - face conversations teach essential social skills like empathy which are not developed when interacting through digital media.
e middle school students prefer texting for its predictability, rather than having to deal with more complex and unpredictable virtual games.

Explanation:

The text emphasizes that time in simulation makes real - people interactions seem difficult (supports option B). It also highlights that face - to - face conversations teach social skills like empathy which digital interactions lack (supports option D). Option A is contrary to the text's message as it says computers are not good substitutes for real relationships. Option C is incorrect as the text focuses on lack of face - to - face talk due to more time in simulation, not lack of online interaction skills. Option E is not mentioned in the text.

Answer:

B. Spending too much time in simulated environments can make real interactions with people seem too challenging and demanding.
D. Face - to - face conversations teach essential social skills like empathy which are not developed when interacting through digital media.