The Face That Becomes Familiar
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 her first week at a large office, Lina passed dozens of unfamiliar faces. One person from another floor rode the same lift each morning. They never spoke, but after several days, that face seemed less strange than the others.
Psychologists call one version of this pattern the mere-exposure effect. Repeated contact with something neutral or pleasant can make it feel more familiar, and familiarity can sometimes increase comfort or liking. A tune may grow easier to enjoy after a few hearings.
The effect has limits. An unpleasant sound may remain unpleasant, and seeing the same person does not guarantee friendship. Context and prior feelings matter. Familiarity is a small influence, not a rule that controls every 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
What is the main idea of the passage?
The answer is C: Repeated harmless exposure can increase familiarity and sometimes comfort, but it does not guarantee a positive response.
The passage defines a modest tendency, illustrates it, and then gives clear limits.
-
Question 2 of 4
Why does Lina's lift experience introduce the effect well?
The answer is D: The face becomes less strange through repeated neutral contact even without conversation.
Repeated rides are the only change described, matching the effect's focus on exposure and familiarity.
-
Question 3 of 4
What does “neutral” mean in this passage?
The answer is A: neither clearly pleasant nor unpleasant
The term sits between threatening and pleasant experiences and describes contact without a strong emotional charge.
-
Question 4 of 4
What example besides a face appears in the passage?
The answer is B: a tune heard several times
The second paragraph uses a repeatedly heard tune as another example.
Score: none answered yet.