The process by means of which human beings can arbitrarily make certain things stand for other things may be called the symbolic process. (31) ___ we turn, we see the symbolic process (32) __ work. For example, stripes on the sleeve can be made to stand for military rank; crossed sticks can stand for a (33) __ of religious beliefs. There are (34) __ things that have not a symbolic value.

Almost all fashionable clothes are (35)_ symbolic. And we select our furniture to (36) ____ as visible symbols of our taste, wealth, and social position. We often choose our houses on the (37) ___ of a feeling that it "looks well" to have a "good address". We trade in perfectly good cars for (38) __ models not always to get better transportation, (39) __ to give evidence to the community that we can (40) _____ it.

I once had an eight-year-old car in good running condition. A repairman, who knew the condition of the car, kept (41) ____ me to trade it (42) __ a new model. "But why?" I asked, "The old car's in (43) __ still." The repairman answered scornfully, "Yeah, but all you've got is transportation."

Such complicated and apparently (44) __ behavior leads philosophers to (45) __ over "Why can't human beings live simply and naturally?" (46) ____ the complexity of human life makes us look enviously at the relative simplicity of such lives as dogs and cats lead.

Simply, the fact that symbolic process makes complexity possible is no (47) ___ for wanting to (48) __ to a cat existence. A better (49) ___ is to understand the symbolic process (50)___ instead of being its victims we become, to some degree at least, its masters.
31. A. Whichever 
  B. Whatever
  C. Everywhere 
  D. However
32. A. in 
  B. at
  C. by 
  D. on
33. A. serial 
  B. cluster
  C. suite. 
  D. set
34. A. many 
  B. few
  C. enough 
  D. little
35. A. highly 
  B. merely
  C. rarely 
  D. accidentally
36. A. work 
  B. regard
  C. serve 
  D. signify
  37. A. chance 
  B. purpose
  C. opportunity 
  D. basis
38. A. later 
  B. former
  C. latter 
  D. earlier
39. A. yet 
  B. but
  C. and 
  D. so
40. A. afford 
  B. offer
  C. supply 
  D. grant
41. A. advocating 
  B. alerting
  C. urging 
  D. pressing
42. A. with 
  B. in
  C. out 
  D. for
43. A. advance 
  B. shape
  C. demand 
  D. vogue
44. A. unnecessary 
  B. useless
  C. random 
  D. impolite
45. A. concern 
  B. worry
  C. ponder 
  D. determine
46. A. Often 
  B. Seldom
  C. Always 
  D. Still
47. A. doubt 
  B. meaning
  C. reason 
  D. time
48. A. return 
  B. devote
  C. lead 
  D. proceed
49. A. result 
  B. solution
  C. distinction 
  D. resolution
50. A. while 
  B. as
  C. since that 
  D. so that