Gilbert Has Just Raked Up All the Fallen Leaves into a Pile

question 218

Multiple Choice

Gilbert has just raked up all the fallen leaves into a pile and now puzzles about how to move them into the far corner of the yard. It does not occur to him to pile them all into a canvas tarpaulin and drag them into the corner because he thinks of the tarpaulin as a cover for something, not a carrier. Gilbert is a victim of

• A) functional fixedness.
• B) prototypical thinking.
• C) a mental set.
• D) the base rate fallacy.

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Definitions:

CIA

The Central Intelligence Agency, a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information.

Chemical Weapons

Weapons that utilize toxic chemicals to inflict harm or death upon enemy forces or civilians, banned under various international laws and treaties due to their brutal nature.

Biological Weapons

Weapons that use bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens as a means of warfare, intended to cause disease or death in humans, animals, or plants.

Nuclear Weapons

Explosive devices that derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion, capable of causing massive destruction.