Question

read this excerpt from \talking robots.\
sejnowski rejected the usual top-down approach to reproducing human speech. he threw out the fat dictionaries of pronunciation and programs brimming with the rules of phonetics and the tedious list of exceptions to all the previous rules, which had no rhyme or reason. instead, he replaced all this with a surprisingly simple neural circuit.
what is the author’s purpose for including this statement?
○ to prove sejnowski’s credentials
○ to clarify how linguists teach speech
○ to criticize robots with neural circuits
○ to praise sejnowski’s innovation

Explanation:

The excerpt shows Sejnowski rejected the complex, traditional approach to reproducing human speech and replaced it with a simple neural circuit. Option A is incorrect as the passage doesn't focus on his credentials. Option B is wrong because it's about Sejnowski's approach, not how linguists teach speech. Option C is incorrect as the passage doesn't criticize neural circuits; instead, it presents his new approach positively. So the author's purpose is to praise Sejnowski's innovative approach.

Answer:

D. to praise Sejnowski’s innovation