The passage mainly explains

why people in a crowd may be less likely to help, and how to counter it (The passage defines the bystander effect, explains its cause, and gives a way to counter it.)

According to the passage, what happens to a sense of responsibility in a group?

It feels spread out among everyone present (The text says responsibility 'feels spread out, or diffused, among everyone present'.)

Why does pointing to one person and asking directly help?

It gives that one person clear responsibility to act (A direct request turns 'a faceless crowd back into an individual with a job to do', ending the shared, diffused responsibility.)

In this passage, 'diffused' most nearly means

spread out among many (The text pairs it with 'spread out', so 'diffused' means thinned across many people.)

The Bystander Effect: Level 3 Reading Comprehension Questions

You might expect that a person in trouble is safest in a large crowd, where many people could help. Studies of human behavior suggest the opposite can be true. The more people who witness an emergency, the less likely any single one is to step in. Psychologists call this the bystander effect.

The cause is not that crowds are cruel. When you are the only witness, the responsibility to act rests fully on you. But in a group, that responsibility feels spread out, or diffused, among everyone present. Each person assumes someone else will act, or waits to see how others react. If no one moves, each takes the stillness as a sign that help is not needed. So the very size of the crowd, which seems like safety, can freeze it into doing nothing.

Knowing this pattern is useful. A person who understands the bystander effect is better able to resist it, either by acting despite the crowd or, if they need help, by pointing to one person and asking directly. A single clear request breaks the spell, turning a faceless crowd back into an individual with a job to do.

Comprehension questions