What is the main idea of the passage?

Repeated harmless exposure can increase familiarity and sometimes comfort, but it does not guarantee a positive response. (The passage defines a modest tendency, illustrates it, and then gives clear limits.)

Why does Lina's lift experience introduce the effect well?

The face becomes less strange through repeated neutral contact even without conversation. (Repeated rides are the only change described, matching the effect's focus on exposure and familiarity.)

What does “neutral” mean in this passage?

neither clearly pleasant nor unpleasant (The term sits between threatening and pleasant experiences and describes contact without a strong emotional charge.)

What example besides a face appears in the passage?

a tune heard several times (The second paragraph uses a repeatedly heard tune as another example.)

The Face That Becomes Familiar: Level 1 Reading Comprehension Questions

On her first week at a large office, Lina passed dozens of unfamiliar faces. One person from another floor rode the same lift each morning. They never spoke, but after several days, that face seemed less strange than the others.

Psychologists call one version of this pattern the mere-exposure effect. Repeated contact with something neutral or pleasant can make it feel more familiar, and familiarity can sometimes increase comfort or liking. A tune may grow easier to enjoy after a few hearings.

The effect has limits. Repetition does not make a threatening meeting safe, turn an unpleasant sound pleasant, or guarantee friendship. Context and prior feelings matter. Familiarity is a small influence, not a rule that controls every response.

Comprehension questions