Question

    Most people aren’t good at creative problem solving for two reasons: (1) They are not trained in how to be creative. (2) They don’t understand group strength well enough to harness (驾驭) their power to maximize group creativity.

A key element of creativity is applying existing knowledge to a new problem. The more people getting involved in solving it, the more knowledge there is to work on it. Unfortunately, research shows that the traditional brainstorming methods fail to achieve that goal. When groups get together to exchange ideas, they actually come up with fewer ideas overall than if they each had worked alone.

To fix this problem, you should consider the two stages of group problem-solving: divergence (分散) and convergence (集中). Divergence happens when the group considers as many different potential solutions as possible. Convergence happens when the various proposed solutions are evaluated and reduced to a smaller set of candidate solutions to the current problem.

The essential principle of group creativity is that individuals working alone diverge, whereas group members working together converge. In groups, once a member states a potential solution, that makes others think about the problem similarly. That is why groups working together diverge less than individuals working alone.

Therefore, be aware of when to diverge and when to converge. For example, early in the problem-solving process, have group members work alone to write down statements describing the problem. Then get them back to discuss their descriptions. The group discussion will lead everyone to accept one or a small number of these statements to work on — this is healthy convergence.

When starting to generate solutions, you again want divergence. Have people work alone to start. Then collect people’s initial ideas and send them around to others and allow the divergence to continue as everyone individually builds on the ideas of other members.

Finally, let the group discuss the resulting ideas. This discussion will gradually lead the group to converge on a small number of candidate solutions.

This simple method works effectively, because it respects what individuals and groups do best.

1.According to Para. 4, when a member presents an idea, others tend to_____.

A.think the other way round

B.follow his way of thinking

C.be more confident in their own ideas

D.be less willing to share their own ideas

2.What should group members first do early in the problem-solving process?

A.Discuss the problem.

B.Simplify the problem.

C.Put down group statements together.

D.Write down their individual descriptions.

3.How can each group member make changes to his initial solution?

A.By adding in collected evidence.

B.By reorganizing his own words.

C.By drawing on others’ ideas.

D.By making his statement briefer.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A.To advocate a way to make group thinking more effective.

B.To demonstrate the difficulty in organizing group thinking.

C.To highlight the differences between divergence and convergence.

D.To show the advantage of group thinking over individual thinking.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.C

4.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。文章指出了大多数人不善于创造性地解决问题的两个原因，介绍了一种使群体思维更有效的方法。

1.细节理解题。根据第四段中的In groups, once a member states a potential solution, that makes others think about the problem similarly.(在小组中，一旦一个成员国有了一个潜在的解决方案，其他成员国就会以同样的方式思考这个问题)可知，当一个成员提出一个想法时，其他人往往会跟随他的思维方式。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第五段中的For example, early in the problem-solving process, have group members work alone to write down statements describing the problem. Then get them back to discuss their descriptions. (例如，在问题解决过程的早期，让小组成员单独写下描述问题的陈述。然后让他们回来讨论他们的描述)可知，在问题解决过程的早期，小组成员首先应该写下他们的个人描述。故选D。

3.细节理解题。根据第五段中的The group discussion will lead everyone to accept one or a small number of these statements to work on — this is healthy convergence.小组讨论将引导每个人接受一个或一小部分需要处理的陈述——这是健康的融合)及第六段中的Then collect people’s initial ideas and send them around to others and allow the divergence to continue as everyone individually builds on the ideas of other members.(然后收集人们最初的想法，并把它们传递给其他人，让分歧继续下去，因为每个人都以其他成员的想法为基础)可知，每个小组成员通过吸收其他人的想法来改变自己最初的解决方案。故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段This simple method works effectively, because it respects what individuals and groups do best.(这个简单的方法很有效，因为它尊重个人和团队的最佳表现)以及原文开篇提到小组讨论存在的问题，接着作者提出了解决此问题的两种方法，分散与集中。后文详细论述了什么情况下利用“分散”，什么情况下利用“集中”的问题，最后作者提出合理充分利用“分散”与“集中”的观点解决问题可知，作者写这篇文章的目的是倡导一种使群体思维更有效的方法。故选A。