1. Maria is applying for a job at an ad agency. At the interview, she’s asked to list some creative things she can do with a diamond necklace. One of the things she lists is Put it in the trash basket. Can this be considered a creative solution? Why or why not?

Maria’s solution cannot be considered creative, because a creative solution must be both novel and useful. Putting a diamond necklace in the trash may be novel, but most people wouldn’t consider it useful.

2. What criteria can be used to determine whether a particular system of communication is a language?

A language must use symbols and syntax and be meaningful and generative.

3. What revolutionary idea did Noam Chomsky propose regarding language?

Noam Chomsky proposed that humans are born with an innate language acquisition device that allows them to acquire language easily.

4. A mansion and a tent are both houses, but people would probably agree that a mansion is a house more quickly than they would agree that a tent is a house. Why is this the case?

Mansions fit most people’s prototypes of the concept house better than tents do.

5. What are two strategies for making decisions about preferences?

Two strategies for making preference decisions are additive strategies and elimination strategies.

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