“After it had been discouraged from the pursuit the captain breathed easier on account of his hair, and others breathed easier because the bird struck their minds at this time as being somehow grewsome and ominous."
Answer: The Elenchus
Explanation: Socrates' method of philosophy is most commonly known as The Elenchus or the dialectical method. Knowledge gained from this method was considered by Aristotle to be 'dialectical knowledge'. Dialectical knowledge was said to form the boundary between the theoretical and the practical aspects of knowledge.
The method of the Elenchus was (and still is, I assume), the following:
1. Raise the most important question (a kind of 'theory' or later 'thesis').
2. Investigate the question thoroughly to make sure that the very best answer is reached, by raising further questions, answering each of them ("they being smaller questions, it will be easier to answer them" --- paraphrasing Plato)
3. At the conclusion of the inquiry, to declare if the problem is solved, and if so, in what way of definition.
4. To continue philosophizing.
However, in Athens, Socrates' particular application of the Elenchus earned him the reputation of a 'gadfly' --- someone who perhaps didn't have the best good in mind (although, according to Plato, Socrates was always a helpful person, and didn't ask for any payments).
This question is missing the options. I've found the options online, and they are as follows:
[...] Which statement most accurately explains the structure of this passage?
A. The author builds up to the most important idea in the story, which is that the bean lives.
B. The author uses chronological order to show the history of the bean's experiences.
C. The author uses cause and effect to show that the tailor's repair causes the bean to have a black line.
D. The author uses problem and solution to show how the tailor solves the bean's problem of having exploded.
Answer:
The statement that best explains the structure of the passage is:
C. The author uses cause and effect to show that the tailor's repair causes the bean to have a black line.
Explanation:
We must read the full passage before we can choose the best answer. We might be tempted to choose the option that speaks of chronological order, since the author does use it to build the story in the proper sequence.<u> It is only in the end that we get to see the purpose of the passage. When the author says, "The bean thanked him most prettily, but as the tailor used black thread, all beans since then have a black seam," it is revealed that the passage is actually telling us the cause behind the black spot every bean has. The cause is the black thread used by the tailor to mend a bean that had exploded. The effect is the black spot itself. Therefore, the best option is letter C.</u>
