Question

The passage is mainly about :

• A. Technology, Entertainment, and Design
• B. Turning over the conventional.
• C. Gaining popular adulation.
• D. Changing presentations
• A. The end of an era.
• B. The way things were.
• C. The brown pigment
• D. The time bound nature of things.
• A. TED is the future
• B. Theory can no longer be counted on
• C. Philosophy is best understood through demos
• D. TED is irreplaceable.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1 — Read the question carefully:
The question asks what the passage is mainly about. This means we need to identify the central theme or the main idea around which the whole passage revolves, rather than focusing on small details.

Step 2 — Recall the key points of the passage:
- The passage starts with an explanation of how TED Talks have become a modern route to academic recognition and fame, particularly since online videos began in 2006.
- It emphasizes that TED, TEDx events, and related platforms are now important in shaping how ideas are shared.
- Other new platforms like Aspen Ideas Festival, PopTech, online courses, and blogs are also mentioned as transformative tools.
- The passage contrasts these new avenues with older traditions of academic recognition, such as conference lectures and essays from the 1990s.
- It highlights how traditional hierarchies of academic visibility are being challenged and overturned by new formats that bring wider audiences and new forms of celebrity status.

Step 3 — Eliminate distractions:
The passage is not just about TED itself, nor only about Stanley Fish or Morris Zapp. These are examples used to illustrate the larger trend: the shift from traditional academic platforms to new, popular, accessible formats that increase visibility.

Step 4 — Arrive at the central idea:
The passage as a whole is about how conventional academic visibility is being overturned and reshaped by modern platforms like TED Talks, blogs, and online lectures, creating new ways for ideas to enter public discourse.

Final Answer:
The correct option is (B) : Turning over the conventional.

Answer 2

Step 1 — Recall where the phrase appears:
In the passage, the author says that the world Stanley Fish described, where people could not live-tweet or post lectures online, now seems “sepia-toned.”

Step 2 — Meaning of “sepia-toned” literally:
Sepia is a brownish color often used in old photographs. When something is described as “sepia-toned,” it conveys the sense of something that is old-fashioned, outdated, or belonging to the past — much like an old photograph that reminds us of a bygone era.

Step 3 — Apply to the context:
The author contrasts the older academic lecture circuit (without live-tweeting, online streaming, or global distribution) with today’s digital, easily shareable formats like TED Talks. By calling the earlier world “sepia-toned,” the author suggests that it now looks old, distant, and belongs to a different era.

Step 4 — Interpret the implication:
Thus, “sepia-toned” does not just mean old; it means that the earlier academic world has effectively faded away into history. It marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new, more digital and widely accessible academic culture.

Final Answer:
The correct option is (A) : The end of an era.

Answer 3

Step 1 — Understand the task:
The question asks which statement cannot be inferred from the passage. That means we must identify the option that is not supported by the text or goes beyond what the author has stated.

Step 2 — Recall the key ideas from the passage:
- TED Talks are highlighted as an important modern platform for academic visibility.
- TED is influential because of its online videos, TEDx events, and TED Radio Hour.
- Other platforms like Aspen Ideas Festival, PopTech, online courses, and blogs are also mentioned as significant.
- The general argument is that new formats are changing how academics gain attention, fame, and influence, replacing traditional hierarchies.

Step 3 — Evaluate the statement “TED is irreplaceable”:
The passage never claims that TED is the only possible or irreplaceable platform. In fact, it explicitly mentions several other platforms—Aspen Ideas Festival, PopTech, online courses, blogs—proving that TED is part of a broader ecosystem.
So saying TED is “irreplaceable” would exaggerate its importance and is not supported by the text.

Step 4 — Confirm why this is the correct choice:
While the passage emphasizes TED’s role, it never suggests that without TED, academic visibility would not exist. Instead, it highlights that multiple new platforms together are reshaping academic celebrity. Therefore, the inference “TED is irreplaceable” is incorrect.

Final Answer:
The correct option is (D) : TED is irreplaceable.