Question

Sejnowski rejected the usual top-down approach to reproducing human speech. He threw out the fat dictionaries of pronunciation and programs brimming with the rules of phonetics and the tedious list of exceptions to all the previous rules, which had no rhyme or reason. Instead, he replaced all this with a surprisingly simple neural circuit.
What is the author’s purpose for including this statement?
to prove Sejnowski’s credentials
to clarify how linguists teach speech
to criticize robots with neural circuits
to praise Sejnowski’s innovation

Answer 1

Answer: to praise Sejnowski’s innovation.

In this excerpt, there are several examples that show how the author admires Sejnowski's innovation. The author belittles previous research by citing the "fat dictionaries of pronunciation" and "the tedious list of exceptions... which had no rhyme or reason." In contrast, he argues that Sejnowski's innovation was "surprisingly simple." It is clear that the author thinks this innovation is better that previous methods and wants to give it the praise he thinks it deserves.

Answer 2

The answer is D to praise Sejnowski’s innovation