大学入学共通テスト（英語） 過去問
令和6年度（2024年度）追・再試験
問40 (＜旧課程＞英語リーディング（第6問） 問2)
問題文
次の英文を読み、最も適当な選択肢を選びなさい。
Your English teacher has assigned this article to you. You need to prepare notes to give a short talk.
Belief Perseverance
There may be some out−of−date rules at your school. If you ask your teachers to update these rules， your ideas may be rejected. Of course， most of their objections will be reasonable， but some may be caused by belief perseverance， the psychological characteristic of maintaining an existing belief despite any new information. Although this tendency itself is neither good nor bad， it may cause conflicts ranging from personal problems to social phenomena.
A study published in 1980 by Craig A. Anderson and his colleagues describes this human tendency. In the first stage of their experiment， the participants were presented with evidence that led them to conclude that firefighters who were willing to take risks performed their jobs better. Surprisingly， even after the participants were told that the evidence was false， they were reluctant to change their conclusions. Why is it difficult to change our beliefs？ This is partly because we have confirmation bias， a psychological tendency to look for information consistent with our existing beliefs. Also， in some cases， the more others attempt to prove our beliefs wrong， the more firmly we stick to them， which is called the backfire effect.
The case of Ignaz Philip Semmelweis demonstrates belief perseverance in one group in society. He was a 19th−century physician who wondered why more women died from a fever after giving birth in one place than in another. His data apparently indicated that handwashing could reduce the number of occurrences of the deadly fever. However， at that time， handwashing was not common among doctors. His potentially life−saving idea was ignored by the medical community， and many doctors rejected it and even harassed him. Semmelweis’ claim was eventually accepted long after his death. This episode demonstrates how a group of people with belief perseverance can become aggressive towards innovators and ground−breaking ideas. This social reaction was named the Semmelweis reflex after this incident.
Understanding belief perseverance can give us insights into the ways people behave. Imagine that you want to study abroad， and your family strongly opposes it because they believe that the city you plan to live in is dangerous. Even after showing them data on the city’s crime rate， you may find out that your efforts end up only adding fuel to the fire. If you encounter this backfire effect， an alternative approach might be needed. You could ask your teacher to speak with your family on your behalf， taking advantage of a related behavior that people tend to trust the opinions of an authority.
If someone presents you with hard−to−believe information， be careful not to reject it immediately. If your internal voice warns you not to act on that information， it is time to remind yourself of belief perseverance. To be stubborn may not be good for you. However， in many cases， the persistence of existing beliefs is desirable or even necessary these days. Remember that the Internet conveys not only accurate but also unreliable information. Belief perseverance can also protect you from potentially fake information. In other words， take time to find out more before accepting new information. After all， we humans have developed belief perseverance over time to ensure our survival. Understanding human nature is one of the keys to keeping your life balanced.
Your notes：
Belief Perseverance（BP）
BP：
● is a tendency to maintain an existing belief despite any new information.
● can be（ 39 ）.
Outline by paragraph
1. Introduction to BP
2. Experiment and explanation
3.（ 40 ）
4.（ 41 ）
5. Final remarks
Stories mentioned in the article
● The firefighters story shows us that（ 42 ）.
● The Semmelweis story tells us that even a truly innovative idea with sufficient evidence can be initially rejected.
Practical lessons from the article
Learning about the nature of human psychology helps us to（ 43 ）.
Choose the best option for（ 40 ）.
Your English teacher has assigned this article to you. You need to prepare notes to give a short talk.
Belief Perseverance
There may be some out−of−date rules at your school. If you ask your teachers to update these rules， your ideas may be rejected. Of course， most of their objections will be reasonable， but some may be caused by belief perseverance， the psychological characteristic of maintaining an existing belief despite any new information. Although this tendency itself is neither good nor bad， it may cause conflicts ranging from personal problems to social phenomena.
A study published in 1980 by Craig A. Anderson and his colleagues describes this human tendency. In the first stage of their experiment， the participants were presented with evidence that led them to conclude that firefighters who were willing to take risks performed their jobs better. Surprisingly， even after the participants were told that the evidence was false， they were reluctant to change their conclusions. Why is it difficult to change our beliefs？ This is partly because we have confirmation bias， a psychological tendency to look for information consistent with our existing beliefs. Also， in some cases， the more others attempt to prove our beliefs wrong， the more firmly we stick to them， which is called the backfire effect.
The case of Ignaz Philip Semmelweis demonstrates belief perseverance in one group in society. He was a 19th−century physician who wondered why more women died from a fever after giving birth in one place than in another. His data apparently indicated that handwashing could reduce the number of occurrences of the deadly fever. However， at that time， handwashing was not common among doctors. His potentially life−saving idea was ignored by the medical community， and many doctors rejected it and even harassed him. Semmelweis’ claim was eventually accepted long after his death. This episode demonstrates how a group of people with belief perseverance can become aggressive towards innovators and ground−breaking ideas. This social reaction was named the Semmelweis reflex after this incident.
Understanding belief perseverance can give us insights into the ways people behave. Imagine that you want to study abroad， and your family strongly opposes it because they believe that the city you plan to live in is dangerous. Even after showing them data on the city’s crime rate， you may find out that your efforts end up only adding fuel to the fire. If you encounter this backfire effect， an alternative approach might be needed. You could ask your teacher to speak with your family on your behalf， taking advantage of a related behavior that people tend to trust the opinions of an authority.
If someone presents you with hard−to−believe information， be careful not to reject it immediately. If your internal voice warns you not to act on that information， it is time to remind yourself of belief perseverance. To be stubborn may not be good for you. However， in many cases， the persistence of existing beliefs is desirable or even necessary these days. Remember that the Internet conveys not only accurate but also unreliable information. Belief perseverance can also protect you from potentially fake information. In other words， take time to find out more before accepting new information. After all， we humans have developed belief perseverance over time to ensure our survival. Understanding human nature is one of the keys to keeping your life balanced.
Your notes：
Belief Perseverance（BP）
BP：
● is a tendency to maintain an existing belief despite any new information.
● can be（ 39 ）.
Outline by paragraph
1. Introduction to BP
2. Experiment and explanation
3.（ 40 ）
4.（ 41 ）
5. Final remarks
Stories mentioned in the article
● The firefighters story shows us that（ 42 ）.
● The Semmelweis story tells us that even a truly innovative idea with sufficient evidence can be initially rejected.
Practical lessons from the article
Learning about the nature of human psychology helps us to（ 43 ）.
Choose the best option for（ 40 ）.
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問題
大学入学共通テスト（英語）試験 令和6年度（2024年度）追・再試験 問40（＜旧課程＞英語リーディング（第6問） 問2） （訂正依頼・報告はこちら）
次の英文を読み、最も適当な選択肢を選びなさい。
Your English teacher has assigned this article to you. You need to prepare notes to give a short talk.
Belief Perseverance
There may be some out−of−date rules at your school. If you ask your teachers to update these rules， your ideas may be rejected. Of course， most of their objections will be reasonable， but some may be caused by belief perseverance， the psychological characteristic of maintaining an existing belief despite any new information. Although this tendency itself is neither good nor bad， it may cause conflicts ranging from personal problems to social phenomena.
A study published in 1980 by Craig A. Anderson and his colleagues describes this human tendency. In the first stage of their experiment， the participants were presented with evidence that led them to conclude that firefighters who were willing to take risks performed their jobs better. Surprisingly， even after the participants were told that the evidence was false， they were reluctant to change their conclusions. Why is it difficult to change our beliefs？ This is partly because we have confirmation bias， a psychological tendency to look for information consistent with our existing beliefs. Also， in some cases， the more others attempt to prove our beliefs wrong， the more firmly we stick to them， which is called the backfire effect.
The case of Ignaz Philip Semmelweis demonstrates belief perseverance in one group in society. He was a 19th−century physician who wondered why more women died from a fever after giving birth in one place than in another. His data apparently indicated that handwashing could reduce the number of occurrences of the deadly fever. However， at that time， handwashing was not common among doctors. His potentially life−saving idea was ignored by the medical community， and many doctors rejected it and even harassed him. Semmelweis’ claim was eventually accepted long after his death. This episode demonstrates how a group of people with belief perseverance can become aggressive towards innovators and ground−breaking ideas. This social reaction was named the Semmelweis reflex after this incident.
Understanding belief perseverance can give us insights into the ways people behave. Imagine that you want to study abroad， and your family strongly opposes it because they believe that the city you plan to live in is dangerous. Even after showing them data on the city’s crime rate， you may find out that your efforts end up only adding fuel to the fire. If you encounter this backfire effect， an alternative approach might be needed. You could ask your teacher to speak with your family on your behalf， taking advantage of a related behavior that people tend to trust the opinions of an authority.
If someone presents you with hard−to−believe information， be careful not to reject it immediately. If your internal voice warns you not to act on that information， it is time to remind yourself of belief perseverance. To be stubborn may not be good for you. However， in many cases， the persistence of existing beliefs is desirable or even necessary these days. Remember that the Internet conveys not only accurate but also unreliable information. Belief perseverance can also protect you from potentially fake information. In other words， take time to find out more before accepting new information. After all， we humans have developed belief perseverance over time to ensure our survival. Understanding human nature is one of the keys to keeping your life balanced.
Your notes：
Belief Perseverance（BP）
BP：
● is a tendency to maintain an existing belief despite any new information.
● can be（ 39 ）.
Outline by paragraph
1. Introduction to BP
2. Experiment and explanation
3.（ 40 ）
4.（ 41 ）
5. Final remarks
Stories mentioned in the article
● The firefighters story shows us that（ 42 ）.
● The Semmelweis story tells us that even a truly innovative idea with sufficient evidence can be initially rejected.
Practical lessons from the article
Learning about the nature of human psychology helps us to（ 43 ）.
Choose the best option for（ 40 ）.
Your English teacher has assigned this article to you. You need to prepare notes to give a short talk.
Belief Perseverance
There may be some out−of−date rules at your school. If you ask your teachers to update these rules， your ideas may be rejected. Of course， most of their objections will be reasonable， but some may be caused by belief perseverance， the psychological characteristic of maintaining an existing belief despite any new information. Although this tendency itself is neither good nor bad， it may cause conflicts ranging from personal problems to social phenomena.
A study published in 1980 by Craig A. Anderson and his colleagues describes this human tendency. In the first stage of their experiment， the participants were presented with evidence that led them to conclude that firefighters who were willing to take risks performed their jobs better. Surprisingly， even after the participants were told that the evidence was false， they were reluctant to change their conclusions. Why is it difficult to change our beliefs？ This is partly because we have confirmation bias， a psychological tendency to look for information consistent with our existing beliefs. Also， in some cases， the more others attempt to prove our beliefs wrong， the more firmly we stick to them， which is called the backfire effect.
The case of Ignaz Philip Semmelweis demonstrates belief perseverance in one group in society. He was a 19th−century physician who wondered why more women died from a fever after giving birth in one place than in another. His data apparently indicated that handwashing could reduce the number of occurrences of the deadly fever. However， at that time， handwashing was not common among doctors. His potentially life−saving idea was ignored by the medical community， and many doctors rejected it and even harassed him. Semmelweis’ claim was eventually accepted long after his death. This episode demonstrates how a group of people with belief perseverance can become aggressive towards innovators and ground−breaking ideas. This social reaction was named the Semmelweis reflex after this incident.
Understanding belief perseverance can give us insights into the ways people behave. Imagine that you want to study abroad， and your family strongly opposes it because they believe that the city you plan to live in is dangerous. Even after showing them data on the city’s crime rate， you may find out that your efforts end up only adding fuel to the fire. If you encounter this backfire effect， an alternative approach might be needed. You could ask your teacher to speak with your family on your behalf， taking advantage of a related behavior that people tend to trust the opinions of an authority.
If someone presents you with hard−to−believe information， be careful not to reject it immediately. If your internal voice warns you not to act on that information， it is time to remind yourself of belief perseverance. To be stubborn may not be good for you. However， in many cases， the persistence of existing beliefs is desirable or even necessary these days. Remember that the Internet conveys not only accurate but also unreliable information. Belief perseverance can also protect you from potentially fake information. In other words， take time to find out more before accepting new information. After all， we humans have developed belief perseverance over time to ensure our survival. Understanding human nature is one of the keys to keeping your life balanced.
Your notes：
Belief Perseverance（BP）
BP：
● is a tendency to maintain an existing belief despite any new information.
● can be（ 39 ）.
Outline by paragraph
1. Introduction to BP
2. Experiment and explanation
3.（ 40 ）
4.（ 41 ）
5. Final remarks
Stories mentioned in the article
● The firefighters story shows us that（ 42 ）.
● The Semmelweis story tells us that even a truly innovative idea with sufficient evidence can be initially rejected.
Practical lessons from the article
Learning about the nature of human psychology helps us to（ 43 ）.
Choose the best option for（ 40 ）.
- A story of a doctor who rejected handwashing
- An example of the social consequences of BP
- An example showing the difficulty of understanding others
- Application of BP knowledge when convincing others
- Strategies for effectively countering new information
- Tendency to search for advice from specialists
正解！素晴らしいです
残念...
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