If, as Stanley Fish Argues, an Individual Reader Interprets a Text

question 115

Multiple Choice

If, as Stanley Fish argues, an individual reader interprets a text and thereby gives it meaning, then there are an infinite number of potential meanings for any given text. Why, then, 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 don't 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.
• E) The meaning of any text is encoded by the author or producer, and it is very hard for an individual to see another meaning.

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Definitions:

Contract Rate

The predetermined fee or rate agreed upon in a contract for services rendered or goods sold.

Bonds

Long-term debt securities issued by corporations or governments to raise capital, paying interest to holders.

Premium

A term that records the sale of stock at more than par value. In this book we use the account Paid-In Capital in Excess of Par to record the premium received.

Discount

A reduction in the price of goods or services, often used as a sales promotion or to encourage early payment.