Question

Consider the sequence "Betsy wanted to bring Jacob a present. She shook her piggy bank." Most people, after hearing this sequence, believe Betsy was checking her piggy bank to see if she had money to spend on the gift. This inference about Betsy's goals depends on the fact that:______

a. Our previous knowledge fills in background information whenever we're understanding an event or conversation.
b. Readers are likely to know someone named Jacob.
c. English, unlike other languages, requires speakers to mention all of the people involved in an event.
d. The individual sentences are short.

Answer 1

A. our previous knowledge fills in background information whenever we're understanding an event or conversation.

Step-by-step explanation:

Betsy wanting to bring Jacob a present and then her shaking her piggy bank to check for money will make most people believe Betsy was checking her piggy bank to see if she had money to spend on the gift.

This is due to the fact that as individuals we employ the use of our previous knowledge fills in background information whenever we're understanding an event or conversation.