Solution:The passage mentions, "the ability to read and write alters how people think," indicating that literacy can influence and change the way individuals think. The passage suggests that literacy, when understood as the mastering of linguistic rules, is not just a set of skills or a neutral tool.
Instead, it is described as a "social variable" that can exist independently of individuals, societies, or cultural traditions. It's something that people acquire or have brought to them.
When literacy is introduced into a community, it has the potential to bring about transformation, and this transformation is described as a one-way process from literacy onto society. The key point is that the ability to read and write, which is associated with literacy, can have a profound impact on the way people think. Literacy is seen as a powerful agent for change in shaping individuals' thought processes.
It influences how they perceive and interpret written texts, which can, in turn, affect their cognitive processes and mental frameworks.