Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 2...

Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 20 to 29.

        Digital media have dramatically changed how we consume information, largely due to the effects of social media. These digital sites provide users with highly personalized news feeds, carefully curated to align with their past interactions such as what they have liked, followed, commented on, etc. This algorithmic tailoring often leads to the formation of “echo chambers”, situations where individuals are mainly exposed to information that reinforces their existing beliefs. Such selective exposure not only limits intellectual growth but also cultivates a fragmented understanding of complex issues, where diverse perspectives are systematically sidelined. Because of this lack of variety, a shared reality can become elusive, replaced by separate, one-sided versions.

        [I] The root cause of these echo chambers lies in confirmation bias, a human cognitive tendency. It drives individuals to seek out, interpret, and favor information that supports their pre-existing beliefs, while simultaneously downplaying or rejecting information that contradicts those views. Every social media platform, in pursuit of maximizing user engagement and, consequently, advertising revenue, unintentionally amplifies this natural tendency. By prioritizing content that resonates with a user's current belief system, its algorithms create a feedback loop, making it less likely for individuals to encounter challenging or differing viewpoints. This continuous validation, while psychologically comforting, significantly impedes the development of critical thinking skills and open-mindedness. [II]

        The impact of echo chambers on society is also concerning. Social media sites that restrict users' access to opposing viewpoints and reinforce their existing viewpoints could potentially exacerbate societal division. For instance, on the issue of climate change, one user might only see posts downplaying environmental risks, while another is exposed exclusively to catastrophic warnings. Since each group relies on completely disparate bodies of fact, there is little basis for them to share any kind of mutual understanding. [III]

        Breaking free from these echo chambers requires a conscious effort. Doing so involves cultivating digital literacy, actively seeking out diverse and credible sources of information, and critically evaluating content rather than passively consuming what algorithms present to us. Only through such proactive measures can individuals cultivate a more comprehensive understanding of the world, thereby fostering a more inclusive exchange of ideas across the increasingly fractured digital landscape. [IV]

(Adapted from https://www.wired.com)

Question 20. According to paragraph 1, what is a primary characteristic of news feeds on social media platforms?

A. They are carefully tailored to individuals based on their previous online behavior.

B. They are carefully curated to systematically sideline the user's past interactions.

C. They aim to create a shared reality by reinforcing existing beliefs through diverse perspectives.

D. They are designed to challenge users' existing beliefs and broaden their perspectives.

Question 21. Which of the following best summarises paragraph 2?

A. Social media algorithms are designed to challenge users' existing beliefs and foster intellectual growth.

B. Social media platforms try to reduce confirmation bias in order to maximize their advertising revenue.

C. Social media algorithms exploit confirmation bias, creating feedback loops that hinder intellectual growth.

D. The feedback loop created by algorithms provides psychological comfort, which helps users improve their critical thinking.

Question 22. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an impact of echo chambers?

A. They exacerbate societal division among different groups.

B. They encourage the development of critical thinking skills.

C. They contribute to a fragmented understanding of complex issues.

D. They make a shared reality become elusive.

Question 23. The word “elusive” in paragraph 1 mostly means ____________.

        A. simple to reach                                        B. clear to everyone

        C. commonly known                                        D. difficult to achieve

Question 24. The word “its” in paragraph 2 refers to ____________.

        A. current belief system’s                                 B. this natural tendency’s

        C. social media platform’s                                  D. confirmation bias’s

Question 25. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?

A. Psychological comfort derived from constant validation is proportional to the development of critical thinking and open-mindedness.

B. Although constant validation provides a sense of psychological ease, it substantially hampers the growth of critical thinking and open-mindedness.

C. The development of critical thinking and open-mindedness is only possible when psychological comfort is continuously challenged.

D. While continuous validation is psychologically beneficial, it unintentionally supports the development of critical thinking and open-mindedness.

Question 26. The example of climate change in paragraph 3 serves primarily to ____________.

A. highlight the universal agreement needed for cooperation on global problems.

B. illustrate how shared reality can become elusive due to differing factual bases.

C. emphasize the global consensus on environmental risks and catastrophic warnings.

D. demonstrate the effectiveness of algorithms in presenting balanced information.

Question 27. What can be inferred about the algorithms used by social media platforms from the passage?

A. They prioritize content that maintains user comfort and engagement, even at the expense of intellectual diversity.

B. They are mainly designed to offer users a wide variety of challenging and different viewpoints from many sources.

C. Their ability to personalize content becomes much less effective as people learn more about how to use technology.

D. They are designed to intentionally create societal division by keeping people inside their own small and narrow groups.

Question 28. Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit?

Ultimately, this lack of shared understanding can contribute to impeding cooperation needed to resolve shared global problems.

        A. [I]                        B. [II]                                C. [III]                                D. [IV]

Question 29. Which of the following best summarizes the passage?

A. While echo chambers pose some challenges to individual intellectual growth, their overall impact on global problem-solving remains negligible.

B. The digital age has highlighted the inherent human tendency of confirmation bias, an issue that social media platforms are actively working to mitigate.

C. Personalized digital feeds create echo chambers, reinforcing existing beliefs and causing societal division, but individuals can overcome this through active digital literacy.

D. Social media algorithms primarily aim to foster intellectual growth among users by exposing them to a wide range of digital content.