Question

read the passage.
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 if the author succeeds, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The author does focus on living beings (e.g., how they use energy for self - preservation), so this is incorrect.
• Option 2: The examples (stone vs. living things) are clear in distinguishing their reactions, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: The passage is about self - renewal through reacting to external forces, not about understanding the environment better, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: The author contrasts how inanimate objects (stone just resists or breaks) and living beings (use external energies for self - preservation) react to external forces, which supports the claim about living beings maintaining themselves through renewal.

Answer:

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