①(A) Humans are uniquely capable of recognizing that they have choices. Unlike other animals, we can reflect on our actions and consider alternative possibilities. - Although I recognized the existence of alternative choices, I nevertheless consumed the cake immediately upon seeing it.
②(B) Humans sometimes act irrationally even when they know better in the moment. It suggests that our brain is made up of different systems that don’t always work together smoothly. The conflict between instinct and reason shows that the brain isn’t perfectly designed. - Despite being fully aware of the consequences, I engaged in hours of video gaming on the night before an important exam.
③(C) If the brain had been intentionally designed, a smart engineer would have made the instinctive and rational systems work better together. Ideally, more control would have been given to the reflective and reckless part of the brain. - A person intending to save money may still make an impulsive purchase. This reflects how the brain’s instinctive and rational systems often fail to coordinate effectively in reality.
④(D) Although humans possess the capacity for rational deliberation, in the absence of conscious and sustained effort, they predominantly revert to their primitive reflexive system as the default mode of response, regardless of whether such automaticity is appropirate to the situation. - When faced with an unexpected problem during a meeting, I first reacted instinctively but quickly shifted to careful reasoning once I realized the situation was serious.
⑤(E) The reason we rely on the reflexive system is that it evolved earlier. In evolution, older systems often stay in place even when new ones are added. So the brain keeps using the original system by default, simply because it was there first. - In moments of emotional conflict, my instinctive reaction to shout rather than deliberate reflects the dominance of the reflexive system.
