Passage (Michael Faraday, *The Chemical History of a Candle*, Lecture I, 1860–61, continued): "In this wood we have one of the most beautiful illustrations of the general nature of a candle that I can possibly give. The fuel provided, the means of bringing that fuel to the place of chemical action, the regular and gradual supply of air to that place of action — heat and light — all produced by a little piece of wood of this kind, forming, in fact, a natural candle. But we must speak of candles as they are in commerce. Here are a couple of candles commonly called dips. They are made of lengths of cotton cut off, hung up by a loop, dipped into melted tallow, taken out again and cooled, then re-dipped until there is an accumulation of tallow round the cotton." What can be inferred about Faraday's pedagogical method from this paragraph?
AHe prefers abstract definitions over concrete examples.
BHe avoids physical demonstrations during lectures.
CHe requires audiences to memorise technical terminology before starting.
DHe moves from a vivid natural example to a familiar manufactured case, building an abstract picture step by step.
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. He moves from a vivid natural example to a familiar manufactured case, building an abstract picture step by step.
Faraday's order of presentation: natural example (candle-wood) → commercial case (dip candles), with the *general nature* of a candle articulated through the natural example first. This is **concrete-to-abstract** pedagogy: examples first, generalisations after.
- **A** is the opposite.
- **C** is contradicted by the *here are a couple of candles* — he is **showing** them.
- **D** is unsupported.
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