Question
The Neglected Senses from For the Benefit of Those Who See
By Rosemary Mahoney
Retrieved from © Savvas myPerspectives English I-IV.. Used with permission.
At Braille Without Borders, blind students demonstrate remarkable independence and adaptability in navigating their environment, performing everyday tasks with ease, and even excelling in activities like catching, cooking, and navigating streets. The author observes that those who are completely blind often exhibit greater confidence and precision compared to those with partial vision, who rely on weakened eyesight and often make errors.
Curious about their experience, the author is blindfolded and led through the streets of Lhasa by two blind teenage girls, Choden and Yangchen, who adeptly use their other senses—sound, touch, and smell—to navigate. The author becomes increasingly aware of her own overreliance on vision, noticing how the girls detect subtle environmental cues, such as the texture of the ground or the absence of sunlight on their faces.
Through their interactions, the author gains insight into the girls’ lives, including their resilience, sense of humor, and cultural background. They share personal stories and moments of lightheartedness, such as learning English phrases for restaurant service, which illustrate their determination to overcome challenges and participate fully in the world. Ultimately, the experience shifts the author’s perspective, highlighting the richness of perception beyond sight and the capability of the blind to lead dynamic, fulfilling lives.
110 Before long I heard the crashing sound of thunder.
111 “No,” Choden said. “Not thunder. That is only the door of the marketplace. They are closing it. It makes a big noise.”
112 The closing door sounded so much like thunder that I wanted to pull off my blindfold and look around to be sure that Choden wasn’t tricking me. I asked Choden if she was sure it wasn’t thunder.
113 “Yah, Rose, sure. Don’t worry.”
114 “Now I smell gasoline,” I said.
115 “No. That is shoes smell.”
116 “What?”
117 “Shoes smell. Hongo.” The two girls conferred in Tibetan, trying to figure out how to explain to me what I was smelling. “It is the smell of shoes. They are selling the shoes here in the street.”
118 I heard birdsong coming from somewhere behind us, a clear wandering whistle like that of a robin. I remarked on it, and Choden said, “No, it is not a bird. It is. . .” She said something to Yangchen in Tibetan, looking again for a word.
119 “Alarm. It is the alarm for a car in case a person tries to steal it.”
120 They knew everything about their city. They knew what everything was and where it was and how it sounded and smelled and felt. They knew it by heart and with their eyes closed. It seemed to me that they knew the city every bit as well as its sighted residents, and I was beginning to wonder whether I too couldn’t benefit from knowing my environment from this different perspective.
121 “Now the cloud went and the sun came shining,” Yangchen said, and as soon as she said it I felt the sun on my head.
122 “Now we turn left,” Choden said.
123 “How do you know we turn left?”
124 “We smell the incense. That smells very nice. It means we are nearly in Jokhang Temple.
125 The moment Choden mentioned it, the air was full of the smell of incense. Again, I hadn’t noticed it until she alerted me to it. The girls were always one step ahead of me, maybe two. I had detected very little of what was taking place around me on this walk, perhaps because I was nervous and disoriented, but also because I was so used to navigating with my eyes that my other senses, relative to the senses of the blind girls, were atrophied1. I stumbled along uncomfortably, feeling out of control and disliking that I was so slow in grasping and noticing what they noticed.
126 Sight is a slick and overbearing autocrat2, trumpeting its prodigal3 knowledge and perceptions so forcefully that it drowns out the other, subtler senses. We go through our day semi-oblivious to a whole range of sensory information because we are distracted and enslaved by our eyes. Taste, touch, smell, and hearing can hardly get a word in edgewise to the brain. Those of us who have sight do not realize that our experience of life and the world is overpowered by our vision. In this sense, we too are handicapped. I began to envy Choden’s and Yangchen’s skills a little. In their presence, I saw that I had been missing a great deal of what was happening in my daily life, and I realized that it was not the blind person’s deficiency that was drawing me into this subject but the revelation of my own.
1. Atrophied- having progressively declined or weakened
2. Autocrat- one who has undisputed influence or power
3. Prodigal- characterized by excessive or abundant expenditure
10.
What can the reader infer about the narrator based on their reactions to Choden’s explanations in paragraphs 110-124?
A.The narrator is dismissive and skeptical of Choden's abilities.
B.The narrator is eager and immediately embraces the experience.
C.The narrator is indifferent to the girls' perspective on sensory perception.
D.The narrator is open to learning but initially struggles to adapt.
11.
Based on the text, what does the narrator realize about their senses compared to Choden and Yangchen?
A.Their senses are equally as strong as the girls'.
B.Their reliance on sight limits their ability to notice other sensory details.
C.They have developed a stronger sense of hearing than the girls.
D.Their sense of smell is superior to Choden and Yangchen’s.
12.
How does the author develop the theme of adapting to a different perspective?
A.By describing the narrator’s discomfort and gradual appreciation for other senses.
B.By highlighting the narrator’s inability to adapt to being blindfolded.
C.By showing how Choden and Yangchen rely exclusively on smell and touch.
D.By explaining the specific cultural significance of sensory experiences in Tibet.
13.
What is the best summary of the excerpt?
A.The author is blindfolded and led through the streets of Lhasa by two blind girls, Choden and Yangchen, who share details about their lives and demonstrate their ability to navigate without sight. The author reflects on how overreliance on vision limits her awareness of other senses.
B.The blind students at Braille Without Borders excel in various activities and lead fulfilling lives. The author observes their independence and realizes that sight is not necessary to navigate or thrive.
C.Blind students at Braille Without Borders use their senses of smell and touch to navigate their surroundings. The author learns to use a cane and becomes disoriented while exploring Lhasa blindfolded.
D.Choden and Yangchen teach the author how to use her other senses to navigate. The author compares the blind students’ independence to the challenges faced by sighted individuals in unfamiliar environments.
14.
Which important idea is emphasized in paragraphs 125-126?
A.Sight is a vital and irreplaceable sense for navigation.
B.Blind individuals are limited in understanding their environment.
C.Overreliance on vision can prevent full awareness of sensory experiences.
D.Taste and touch are less important than sight and hearing.
15.
Which quotes best support the idea that the narrator admires Choden and Yangchen's abilities?
A.The girls were always one step ahead of me, maybe two. (paragraph 125)
B.They knew everything about their city. (paragraph 120)
C.I began to envy Choden’s and Yangchen’s skills a little. (paragraph 126)
D.The moment Choden mentioned it, the air was full of the smell of incense. (paragraph 125)
E.We go through our day semi-oblivious to a whole range of sensory information. (paragraph 126)
16a.
Which of the following ideas can the reader infer about vision based on the text?
A.Vision is the only sense necessary for navigating the world.
B.Blindness is a deficiency that prevents full awareness of surroundings.
C.Overreliance on vision can hinder a person's ability to experience life fully.
D.People with vision are always more perceptive than those without.
16b.
Which quote from the text best supports the answer for Part A?
A.Those of us who have sight do not realize that our experience of life and the world is overpowered by our vision. (paragraph 126)
B.I had detected very little of what was taking place around me on this walk. (paragraph 125)
C.Taste, touch, smell, and hearing can hardly get a word in edgewise to the brain. (paragraph 126)
D.It was not the blind person’s deficiency that was drawing me into this subject but the revelation of my own. (paragraph 126)
By Rosemary Mahoney
Retrieved from © Savvas myPerspectives English I-IV.. Used with permission.
At Braille Without Borders, blind students demonstrate remarkable independence and adaptability in navigating their environment, performing everyday tasks with ease, and even excelling in activities like catching, cooking, and navigating streets. The author observes that those who are completely blind often exhibit greater confidence and precision compared to those with partial vision, who rely on weakened eyesight and often make errors.
Curious about their experience, the author is blindfolded and led through the streets of Lhasa by two blind teenage girls, Choden and Yangchen, who adeptly use their other senses—sound, touch, and smell—to navigate. The author becomes increasingly aware of her own overreliance on vision, noticing how the girls detect subtle environmental cues, such as the texture of the ground or the absence of sunlight on their faces.
Through their interactions, the author gains insight into the girls’ lives, including their resilience, sense of humor, and cultural background. They share personal stories and moments of lightheartedness, such as learning English phrases for restaurant service, which illustrate their determination to overcome challenges and participate fully in the world. Ultimately, the experience shifts the author’s perspective, highlighting the richness of perception beyond sight and the capability of the blind to lead dynamic, fulfilling lives.
110 Before long I heard the crashing sound of thunder.
111 “No,” Choden said. “Not thunder. That is only the door of the marketplace. They are closing it. It makes a big noise.”
112 The closing door sounded so much like thunder that I wanted to pull off my blindfold and look around to be sure that Choden wasn’t tricking me. I asked Choden if she was sure it wasn’t thunder.
113 “Yah, Rose, sure. Don’t worry.”
114 “Now I smell gasoline,” I said.
115 “No. That is shoes smell.”
116 “What?”
117 “Shoes smell. Hongo.” The two girls conferred in Tibetan, trying to figure out how to explain to me what I was smelling. “It is the smell of shoes. They are selling the shoes here in the street.”
118 I heard birdsong coming from somewhere behind us, a clear wandering whistle like that of a robin. I remarked on it, and Choden said, “No, it is not a bird. It is. . .” She said something to Yangchen in Tibetan, looking again for a word.
119 “Alarm. It is the alarm for a car in case a person tries to steal it.”
120 They knew everything about their city. They knew what everything was and where it was and how it sounded and smelled and felt. They knew it by heart and with their eyes closed. It seemed to me that they knew the city every bit as well as its sighted residents, and I was beginning to wonder whether I too couldn’t benefit from knowing my environment from this different perspective.
121 “Now the cloud went and the sun came shining,” Yangchen said, and as soon as she said it I felt the sun on my head.
122 “Now we turn left,” Choden said.
123 “How do you know we turn left?”
124 “We smell the incense. That smells very nice. It means we are nearly in Jokhang Temple.
125 The moment Choden mentioned it, the air was full of the smell of incense. Again, I hadn’t noticed it until she alerted me to it. The girls were always one step ahead of me, maybe two. I had detected very little of what was taking place around me on this walk, perhaps because I was nervous and disoriented, but also because I was so used to navigating with my eyes that my other senses, relative to the senses of the blind girls, were atrophied1. I stumbled along uncomfortably, feeling out of control and disliking that I was so slow in grasping and noticing what they noticed.
126 Sight is a slick and overbearing autocrat2, trumpeting its prodigal3 knowledge and perceptions so forcefully that it drowns out the other, subtler senses. We go through our day semi-oblivious to a whole range of sensory information because we are distracted and enslaved by our eyes. Taste, touch, smell, and hearing can hardly get a word in edgewise to the brain. Those of us who have sight do not realize that our experience of life and the world is overpowered by our vision. In this sense, we too are handicapped. I began to envy Choden’s and Yangchen’s skills a little. In their presence, I saw that I had been missing a great deal of what was happening in my daily life, and I realized that it was not the blind person’s deficiency that was drawing me into this subject but the revelation of my own.
1. Atrophied- having progressively declined or weakened
2. Autocrat- one who has undisputed influence or power
3. Prodigal- characterized by excessive or abundant expenditure
10.
What can the reader infer about the narrator based on their reactions to Choden’s explanations in paragraphs 110-124?
A.The narrator is dismissive and skeptical of Choden's abilities.
B.The narrator is eager and immediately embraces the experience.
C.The narrator is indifferent to the girls' perspective on sensory perception.
D.The narrator is open to learning but initially struggles to adapt.
11.
Based on the text, what does the narrator realize about their senses compared to Choden and Yangchen?
A.Their senses are equally as strong as the girls'.
B.Their reliance on sight limits their ability to notice other sensory details.
C.They have developed a stronger sense of hearing than the girls.
D.Their sense of smell is superior to Choden and Yangchen’s.
12.
How does the author develop the theme of adapting to a different perspective?
A.By describing the narrator’s discomfort and gradual appreciation for other senses.
B.By highlighting the narrator’s inability to adapt to being blindfolded.
C.By showing how Choden and Yangchen rely exclusively on smell and touch.
D.By explaining the specific cultural significance of sensory experiences in Tibet.
13.
What is the best summary of the excerpt?
A.The author is blindfolded and led through the streets of Lhasa by two blind girls, Choden and Yangchen, who share details about their lives and demonstrate their ability to navigate without sight. The author reflects on how overreliance on vision limits her awareness of other senses.
B.The blind students at Braille Without Borders excel in various activities and lead fulfilling lives. The author observes their independence and realizes that sight is not necessary to navigate or thrive.
C.Blind students at Braille Without Borders use their senses of smell and touch to navigate their surroundings. The author learns to use a cane and becomes disoriented while exploring Lhasa blindfolded.
D.Choden and Yangchen teach the author how to use her other senses to navigate. The author compares the blind students’ independence to the challenges faced by sighted individuals in unfamiliar environments.
14.
Which important idea is emphasized in paragraphs 125-126?
A.Sight is a vital and irreplaceable sense for navigation.
B.Blind individuals are limited in understanding their environment.
C.Overreliance on vision can prevent full awareness of sensory experiences.
D.Taste and touch are less important than sight and hearing.
15.
Which quotes best support the idea that the narrator admires Choden and Yangchen's abilities?
A.The girls were always one step ahead of me, maybe two. (paragraph 125)
B.They knew everything about their city. (paragraph 120)
C.I began to envy Choden’s and Yangchen’s skills a little. (paragraph 126)
D.The moment Choden mentioned it, the air was full of the smell of incense. (paragraph 125)
E.We go through our day semi-oblivious to a whole range of sensory information. (paragraph 126)
16a.
Which of the following ideas can the reader infer about vision based on the text?
A.Vision is the only sense necessary for navigating the world.
B.Blindness is a deficiency that prevents full awareness of surroundings.
C.Overreliance on vision can hinder a person's ability to experience life fully.
D.People with vision are always more perceptive than those without.
16b.
Which quote from the text best supports the answer for Part A?
A.Those of us who have sight do not realize that our experience of life and the world is overpowered by our vision. (paragraph 126)
B.I had detected very little of what was taking place around me on this walk. (paragraph 125)
C.Taste, touch, smell, and hearing can hardly get a word in edgewise to the brain. (paragraph 126)
D.It was not the blind person’s deficiency that was drawing me into this subject but the revelation of my own. (paragraph 126)
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Sure! Here are the answers to the questions based on the excerpt from "For the Benefit of Those Who See" by Rosemary Mahoney:
**10.** What can the reader infer about the narrator based on their reactions to Choden’s explanations in paragraphs 110-124?
- **D. The narrator is open to learning but initially struggles to adapt.**
**11.** Based on the text, what does the narrator realize about their senses compared to Choden and Yangchen?
- **B. Their reliance on sight limits their ability to notice other sensory details.**
**12.** How does the author develop the theme of adapting to a different perspective?
- **A. By describing the narrator’s discomfort and gradual appreciation for other senses.**
**13.** What is the best summary of the excerpt?
- **A. The author is blindfolded and led through the streets of Lhasa by two blind girls, Choden and Yangchen, who share details about their lives and demonstrate their ability to navigate without sight. The author reflects on how overreliance on vision limits her awareness of other senses.**
**14.** Which important idea is emphasized in paragraphs 125-126?
- **C. Overreliance on vision can prevent full awareness of sensory experiences.**
**15.** Which quotes best support the idea that the narrator admires Choden and Yangchen's abilities?
- **C. I began to envy Choden’s and Yangchen’s skills a little. (paragraph 126)**
**16a.** Which of the following ideas can the reader infer about vision based on the text?
- **C. Overreliance on vision can hinder a person's ability to experience life fully.**
**16b.** Which quote from the text best supports the answer for Part A?
- **A. Those of us who have sight do not realize that our experience of life and the world is overpowered by our vision. (paragraph 126)**
These answers reflect the themes and insights presented in the excerpt about perception, sensory experience, and the contrasting perspectives of the blind and sighted individuals.
**10.** What can the reader infer about the narrator based on their reactions to Choden’s explanations in paragraphs 110-124?
- **D. The narrator is open to learning but initially struggles to adapt.**
**11.** Based on the text, what does the narrator realize about their senses compared to Choden and Yangchen?
- **B. Their reliance on sight limits their ability to notice other sensory details.**
**12.** How does the author develop the theme of adapting to a different perspective?
- **A. By describing the narrator’s discomfort and gradual appreciation for other senses.**
**13.** What is the best summary of the excerpt?
- **A. The author is blindfolded and led through the streets of Lhasa by two blind girls, Choden and Yangchen, who share details about their lives and demonstrate their ability to navigate without sight. The author reflects on how overreliance on vision limits her awareness of other senses.**
**14.** Which important idea is emphasized in paragraphs 125-126?
- **C. Overreliance on vision can prevent full awareness of sensory experiences.**
**15.** Which quotes best support the idea that the narrator admires Choden and Yangchen's abilities?
- **C. I began to envy Choden’s and Yangchen’s skills a little. (paragraph 126)**
**16a.** Which of the following ideas can the reader infer about vision based on the text?
- **C. Overreliance on vision can hinder a person's ability to experience life fully.**
**16b.** Which quote from the text best supports the answer for Part A?
- **A. Those of us who have sight do not realize that our experience of life and the world is overpowered by our vision. (paragraph 126)**
These answers reflect the themes and insights presented in the excerpt about perception, sensory experience, and the contrasting perspectives of the blind and sighted individuals.