Concetti Chiave
- Intelligence refers to a good understanding or high mental ability, which can be demonstrated in actions taken with awareness of outcomes.
- Military intelligence involves gathering information on enemy forces to anticipate attacks, while artificial intelligence is demonstrated by machines.
- An IQ score measures intellectual ability but is sometimes criticized for bias and limited predictive power in academics.
- Being "smart" can refer to quick intelligence or being fashionable, as exemplified by strategic thinkers in sports or award-winning designers.
- Idiomatic expressions like "smart as a whip" indicate quick-wittedness, while "smart aleck" describes an irritatingly clever person.
Definition of intelligence
Someone described as intelligent has good understanding or a high mental ability. It can also describe an action taken with a good understanding of the results. Intelligence is the noun form and is high mental ability or specialized information.
Ex: Fran discovered that being intelligent and having high exam marks was not enough to be accepted to study at Oxford University. She was rejected because she didn't participate in any school activities.
Military and artificial intelligence
Ex: Military intelligence is information or knowledge about the people and activities of enemy forces, and it is used to determine if or when they might attack.
Intelligence Quotient or IQ is a measurement of intellectual ability determined by the results of a test whose median score is 100. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is intelligence exhibited by machines, especially computers.
Ex: An IQ score is a sometimes disputed measurement of a person's intellectual ability. Some claim the test is biased and does not predict how well an individual might perform in academic subjects.
Ex: Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, men who have won the most games on the TV show Jeopardy!, played against and lost to Watson, an IBM computer with artificial intelligence.
Smart and trendy people
A smart person has or shows quick intelligence. Smart can also mean fashionable.
Ex: Colin is a smart football player. He is able to see every other player's position on the pitch in a fraction of a second, so he can safely pass or shoot the ball before the other team knows what he's doing.
Ex: Edith Head was an Academy Award-winning costume designer who created smart outfits for some of the most famous film stars, including Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren.
Idiomatic expressions about cleverness
Smart as a whip means very intelligent or quick-witted, and the expression probably comes from the sharp crack that a whip makes. Even though it is mainly a North American term, its meaning would be understood by British people. And a smart aleck is a wise guy or an irritating person.
Ex: My new kitten is as smart as a whip. She's already litter trained, and she fetches the catnip mouse when I throw it.
Ex: Tommy is not only a bully on the playground, he's a smart aleck in the classroom, always talking back to the teacher. As a result, he spends a lot of time in the principal's office.
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the definition of intelligence according to the text?
- What does it mean to be a "smart" person, and how can this term be used differently?
Intelligence is described as having good understanding or high mental ability. It can also refer to actions taken with a good understanding of the results. The noun form, intelligence, signifies high mental ability or specialized information.
A smart person shows quick intelligence and can also be described as fashionable. For example, a smart football player quickly assesses the field, while a smart outfit is stylish and trendy.