There Are an Infinite Number of Potential Meanings for Any

question 83

Multiple Choice

There are an infinite number of potential meanings for any given text if, as Stanley Fish argues, an individual reader interprets a text and thereby gives it meaning. Why do so many people interpret things in the same ways?

• A) People tend to look to a small number of critics to explain any particular piece of culture.
• B) People have very little imagination and do not like to focus too much on any given text.
• C) People who consume the same texts come from similar backgrounds and have similar interpretive frameworks.
• D) People passively absorb meanings from the media that lead them to see the world in the same ways.

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Definitions:

Privileged Position

A status that affords an individual or group certain advantages or benefits over others, often due to systemic inequalities in society.

Men

Adult human males, often referenced in discussions about gender roles, masculinity, and societal expectations.

Whites

Refers to individuals or populations characterized by lighter skin tones, often used in the context of discussing racial and ethnic identities.

Matrix

An environment or material in which something develops; or in mathematics, a rectangular array of numbers, symbols, or expressions.