Quiz: Identify the Odd Sentence
Q1: Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
**Sentences:** 1. Part of the appeal of forecasting is not just that it seems to work, but that you don’t seem to need specialized expertise to succeed at it.
2. The tight connection between forecasting and building a model of the world helps explain why so much of the early interest in the idea came from the intelligence community.
3. This was true even though the latter had access to classified intelligence.
4. One frequently cited study found that accurate forecasters’ predictions of geopolitical events, when aggregated using standard scientific methods, were more accurate than the forecasts of members of the US intelligence community who answered the same questions in a confidential prediction market.
5. The aggregated opinions of non-experts doing forecasting have proven to be a better guide to the future than the aggregated opinions of experts.
**Options:**
**Sentences:** 1. Part of the appeal of forecasting is not just that it seems to work, but that you don’t seem to need specialized expertise to succeed at it.
2. The tight connection between forecasting and building a model of the world helps explain why so much of the early interest in the idea came from the intelligence community.
3. This was true even though the latter had access to classified intelligence.
4. One frequently cited study found that accurate forecasters’ predictions of geopolitical events, when aggregated using standard scientific methods, were more accurate than the forecasts of members of the US intelligence community who answered the same questions in a confidential prediction market.
5. The aggregated opinions of non-experts doing forecasting have proven to be a better guide to the future than the aggregated opinions of experts.
**Options:**
- 1) Sentence 1
- 2) Sentence 2
- 3) Sentence 3
- 4) Sentence 4
- 5) Sentence 5
Correct Answer: Sentence 2
Analysis:
The topic revolves around forecasting, particularly its effectiveness, accessibility, and comparison between experts and non-experts.
- Sentence 1: Highlights the appeal of forecasting and how it does not require specialized expertise to succeed. Relevant to the discussion on forecasting’s accessibility.
- Sentence 2: Discusses the connection between forecasting and modeling the world, with early interest coming from the intelligence community. While interesting, it shifts the focus to historical context, which is tangential to the discussion.
- Sentence 3: Elaborates on Sentence 2, providing an additional detail about the intelligence community. Supports the broader theme.
- Sentence 4: References a study comparing forecasters and intelligence experts, showing that aggregated forecasts can outperform expert predictions. Provides evidence supporting the main argument.
- Sentence 5: States that aggregated non-expert opinions in forecasting outperform expert opinions. Directly aligns with Sentence 4.
Conclusion: Sentence 2 is the odd one out because it focuses on the intelligence community’s interest in forecasting, which is tangential to the paragraph’s primary focus on forecasting’s effectiveness and accessibility.
Q2: Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
**Sentences:** 1. To create a synapse, the neuron has specialized structures, often seen as tiny swellings, at its terminal end of the axon where it stores the chemicals that are emitted to transmit a signal to the next neuron.
2. This fetal warm-up act—the soldering of neural connections before the eyes actually function—is crucial to the performance of the visual system.
3. The reasons for this paring back of synapses is a mystery, but synaptic pruning is thought to sharpen and reinforce the “correct” synapses, while removing the weak and unnecessary ones.
4. Neural connections between the eyes and the brain are formed long before birth, establishing the wiring and the circuitry that allow a child to begin visualizing the world the minute she emerges from the womb.
5. During this rehearsal period, synapses—points of chemical connection—between nerve cells are generated in great excess, only to be pruned back during later development.
**Options:**
**Sentences:** 1. To create a synapse, the neuron has specialized structures, often seen as tiny swellings, at its terminal end of the axon where it stores the chemicals that are emitted to transmit a signal to the next neuron.
2. This fetal warm-up act—the soldering of neural connections before the eyes actually function—is crucial to the performance of the visual system.
3. The reasons for this paring back of synapses is a mystery, but synaptic pruning is thought to sharpen and reinforce the “correct” synapses, while removing the weak and unnecessary ones.
4. Neural connections between the eyes and the brain are formed long before birth, establishing the wiring and the circuitry that allow a child to begin visualizing the world the minute she emerges from the womb.
5. During this rehearsal period, synapses—points of chemical connection—between nerve cells are generated in great excess, only to be pruned back during later development.
**Options:**
- 1) Sentence 1
- 2) Sentence 2
- 3) Sentence 3
- 4) Sentence 4
- 5) Sentence 5
Correct Answer: Sentence 1
Analysis:
The topic revolves around the formation, development, and pruning of neural connections, especially in relation to visual development before birth.
- Sentence 1: Describes how neurons create synapses using specialized structures. However, it focuses on the structure of synapses rather than their role in visual development or pruning.
- Sentence 2: Discusses the importance of neural connections being formed before birth as a “warm-up” for the visual system. Directly relevant to the discussion.
- Sentence 3: Explains synaptic pruning, which sharpens necessary synapses while removing unnecessary ones. Fits well.
- Sentence 4: States that neural connections between the eyes and brain are formed before birth, enabling vision immediately after birth. Aligns with the topic.
- Sentence 5: Mentions the generation of synapses in excess and their subsequent pruning during later development. Directly tied to the process of neural development and pruning.
Conclusion: Sentence 1 is the odd one out because it focuses on the structure of synapses rather than their role in visual system development or pruning.
