A is incorrect: The writer says that wisdom is ‘one of the most revered human qualities’ but does
not suggest that it is unique to humans.
C is incorrect: The writer refers to different concepts of
wisdom but does not relate these to society.
D is incorrect: The writer refers to recent findings
about the nature of wisdom but does not say whether there is more to be discovered.
28 The correct answer is C: Igor Grossmann is quoted as saying, ‘It appears that experiential,
situational, and cultural factors are even more powerful in shaping wisdom than previously imagined’.
This means that people did not previously realise how powerful the influence of these factors was.
In other words, their importance was underestimated.
A is incorrect: Grossmann suggests that
a person’s ability to make wise decisions ‘varies dramatically across experiential and situational
contexts’; he does not suggest that this varies from one person to another.
B is incorrect: Grossman
does not say anything about earlier research.
D is incorrect: Grossman refers to several branches of
psychology but does not suggest that they have different definitions of wisdom.
29 The correct answer is B: Grossmann is quoted as saying, ‘wisdom … unfolds as a function
of situations people happen to be in. Some situations are more likely to promote wisdom than
others.’ This means that a person will show more wisdom in some circumstances than in others.
A is incorrect: Grossman does not mention what people think about their own level of wisdom.
C is incorrect: Grossman claims that an individual’s level of wisdom depends on ‘a variety of
external factors’; he does not suggest that personality is a determining factor.
D is incorrect: Grossman does not say anything about wisdom developing over time.
