Analogical Application Practice Test

A philosopher defending the rule of law proposes an analogy: laws are like the grammar of a language. The mapping is explicit: speakers correspond to citizens pursuing varied aims; grammar corresponds to general, public rules; and intelligible conversation corresponds to social cooperation that is possible even amid disagreement. The author argues that grammar constrains expression but also makes expression possible; similarly, general laws constrain conduct but enable predictable interaction. The author cautions against overextension: grammar evolves, but this does not mean every individual may invent private grammar at will.

Which situation is most analogous to the relationship described in the passage?

Read the passage and answer the question.

The author argues that attention is not merely a passive spotlight but an active allocation of limited resources. People often blame themselves for failing to notice everything, as if comprehensive awareness were possible. To clarify, the author uses an analogy to a household budget. A family cannot fund every desirable purchase; it must allocate money among rent, food, and savings. Spending more in one category necessarily reduces what is available elsewhere. Similarly, focusing intensely on one task reduces attention available for others.

The author maps the analogy explicitly: money corresponds to attentional capacity; budget categories correspond to tasks and stimuli; and overspending corresponds to cognitive overload. The author’s claim is that effective attention involves prioritization and tradeoffs, not maximal coverage. Attempts to “pay attention to everything” are as incoherent as planning to buy everything with a finite income.

The author cautions that some people have larger “budgets” due to training or context, but the finitude remains. The analogy supports a limited conclusion: better strategies involve deciding what to ignore as much as what to notice.

The author concludes that environments should be designed to reduce unnecessary attentional demands, just as good financial planning reduces wasteful expenses.

Which scenario best corresponds to the author’s analogy-based reasoning?