Reading Comprehension Passage 19 MCQ Test With Answers

Questions must be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage itself, and not on the basis of what you may know independently about the subject matter.

Reading Comprehension Passage 19 MCQ Test

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Question 1

(Please note: The following questions are related to a specific reading passage, which is available solely before the first question. Remember, it may be helpful to refer back to the reading text while answering the questions to ensure accuracy.)

TWO GREAT TRADITIONS

The two most powerful and enduring ideas in American political culture are so deeply shared that we are unaware --except, perhaps when we visit other nations that have been shaped by quite dissimilar ideas -- how pervasive they are. One idea draws on that part of our Puritan heritage that attached a high value to the rationalization and moralization of society.

The other draws on a tradition that, though still ancient, is about two centuries younger than the first: it is, of course, the theory of natural rights... Originally defined as the right to life, liberty and property, today it indicates a desire to maximize individual self-expression, and as such, it is understood in terms of the claims that the individual may make against society.

Needless to say, these two intellectual and cultural traditions are to a certain extent in conflict. The more we extend the scope of individual rights, the harder it becomes to regulate and improve society, and vice versa.

James 0. WILSON, "Intellectuals and Public Policy", The Public Interest.

The two intellectual traditions the passage tells us about are _______ in American political culture.

A	very widespread
B	now nonexistent
C	morally degenerating
D	pervasively misunderstood
E	mutually inheritable

Question 2

Americans, on the whole,

A	draw their most powerful and persistent ideas from Puritanism.
B	display a bewildering variety of political views and beliefs across the country.
C	frequently visit and criticise the other parts of the world.
D	are still influenced by their Puritan past.
E	share many of their political views with the other nations.

Question 3

The theory of natural rights

A	has the opposite meaning now of how it was originally understood.
B	favours individualistic values when they are in conflict with the interests of the society.
C	protects American society against the claims made by foreign individuals.
D	defies the individual's rights to life, liberty and property.
E	is a recent trend in American political culture.

Question 4

These two intellectual and cultural traditions

A	are in such an irreconciliably violent conflict that the entire structure of the society is in danger.
B	need not be spoken about in vice-versa terms.
C	regulate and improve the society according to individual preferences.
D	have an inverse effect on one another to a certain degree.
E	both go back to the very beginnings of American history.

Question 5

A suitable alternative title for the passage might be:

A	Intellectualism in The United States Of America
B	Conflicting Traditions Never Destroy A Society
C	Rationalization And Moralization of Society
D	On The Paradoxical Nature of American Political Culture
E	In Support Of Individualism Versus Populism