The Silence Between Strangers
Written by Studio AM.
Your result
- Words per minute
- Score
- Pace
Words per minute mean something only with the score beside them. They describe this passage on this read. With fewer than 3 right, try the next slower pace.
Choose a pace and select Start. The passage is paced and timed, then the questions check what you understood. How pace mode works
Reading time 0:00
On a train, silence between strangers can seem like a treaty: an unwritten agreement that everyone prefers to be left alone. Starting a conversation may feel awkward if we assume the other person would rather not talk.
Psychologists Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder tested this assumption with commuters. Participants predicted that talking with a stranger would be less pleasant than keeping to themselves. Yet those assigned to converse reported a more positive journey, on average, than those assigned to remain separate. The researchers also found that people underestimated others' interest in connecting.
The mismatch suggests one reason a quiet carriage stays quiet: some passengers may be waiting for a sign of interest from someone who is waiting for the same thing. A preference can be misread when silence is treated as its only evidence.
This gives an ordinary greeting a modest value. It can offer a choice without demanding a conversation. A short answer, headphones, or a return to a book may signal that the other person wants quiet. The useful lesson is to question an automatic assumption while remaining attentive to the response.
The passage is hidden while you answer. It comes back with your result.
Questions
Choose an answer. The explanation appears after you answer.
-
Question 1 of 4
Which statement best captures the essay's argument?
The answer is B: Some silence reflects mistaken assumptions about others' interest, so a respectful greeting can offer a choice.
The essay moves from a tested assumption to a limited, respectful implication.
-
Question 2 of 4
The essay's mechanism would best explain which of these situations?
The answer is D: Students stay silent because each thinks the others understand, although many would welcome a question.
Each person treats others' silence as evidence and stays quiet, producing a pattern similar to the essay's proposed mechanism.
-
Question 3 of 4
The silence is compared to a "treaty". What does that word mean?
The answer is A: a formal agreement between sides
The first sentence explains the image as an agreement, although the commuters have made no formal agreement.
-
Question 4 of 4
What did the commuters who were assigned to talk report?
The answer is C: A more positive journey on average than those assigned to remain separate.
The research result is an average comparison between the assigned groups.
Score: none answered yet.