Question 1
(Please note: The following questions are related to a specific reading passage, available solely before the first question. Remember, referring back to the reading text while answering the questions may be helpful to ensure accuracy.)
The increasingly sophisticated understanding of counterinsurgency led to a significant discovery that could be applied with success to other forms of conflict. The political dominance of internal wars is also to be found in some international conflicts. The evidence for this is empirical; no satisfactory general theory has yet been formulated. It is difficult to put a date on this insight, but some of the examples of recent history are illustrative. The US bombing of Libya on 14 April 1986 is one. That mission was conducted for political and psychological purposes. It was not a simple military operation but delivered a loud message that state-sponsored terrorism would not go unpunished. Military targets were hit, but their destruction was not the driving purpose. Rules of engagement were strict; there were to be no attacks on targets of opportunity. Despite precautions, unintentional damage to other than selected targets occurred.
The discovery attained after the increasingly better understanding of counterinsurgency is _____.
The second sentence states the discovery: the political dominance of internal wars is also to be found in some international conflicts. So politics is the driving force in internal wars and in some international ones. Not insurgencies are sometimes against other nations: the passage never says this. The discovery is applied to other forms of conflict, not to internal wars, so the 'applicable to internal wars' option is also wrong.
Question 2
According to the paragraph, _____.
The passage says the evidence for the discovery is empirical and that some of the examples of recent history are illustrative, with the Libya bombing as one example. So recent history gives proof that some international conflicts are also politically motivated. Not the 'psychological purposes only' option: the mission was conducted for political and psychological purposes.
Question 3
The message intended to be delivered by the bombardment was _____.
The bombing delivered a loud message that state-sponsored terrorism would not go unpunished. In other words, the U.S. would no longer tolerate it. Not the option about attacking any target: the rules of engagement were strict and there were to be no attacks on targets of opportunity. The passage also never says the message actually made states stop supporting terrorism.
Question 4
Philosophy teaches us to feel uncertain about the things which seem to us self-evident. Propaganda, on the other hand, teaches us to accept as self-evident matters about which it would be reasonable to suspend our judgment or to feel doubt. The propagandist must therefore be consistently dogmatic. All his statements are made without qualification. There are no greys in his picture of the world; everything is either diabolically black or celestially white. He must never admit that he may be wrong or that people with a different point of view might be even partially right. Opponents ought not to be argued with; they should be attacked, shouted down, or if they become too much of a nuisance, liquidated.
The distinction between philosophy and propaganda is that _____.
The first two sentences contrast the two. Philosophy teaches us to feel uncertain even about things that seem self-evident. Propaganda teaches us to accept as self-evident things about which we should suspend judgement or feel doubt. So philosophy makes us doubt even obvious truths, while propaganda gets us to accept doubtful things as true. Not the option saying propaganda teaches us to accept plausible matters: the point is that propaganda makes us accept doubtful matters without question.
Question 5
It can be inferred from the statements of the propagandist that _____.
The passage says there are no greys in the propagandist's picture of the world: everything is either diabolically black or celestially white. So for him everything is either good or bad, with no middle way. All the other options describe an open-minded person, but he is consistently dogmatic and never admits he may be wrong.
Question 6
According to the propagandist, when a rival becomes intolerable, _____.
The last sentence says opponents who become too much of a nuisance should be liquidated, which means killed or got rid of. Do away with someone means the same. Not 'he can be argued with': the propagandist says opponents should not be argued with but attacked and shouted down.
Question 7
As for the nervous system, it is one of the most complicated and significant systems in the human body. The controlling units of the system are located in the brain, from where messages are sent to activate other systems. Much like a computer network, every part of the body is connected to the brain through nerves. They direct muscular movements of the body. They tell the body parts when and how to move. They also direct cognitive processes like learning and not forgetting a language. Without the central nervous system, it would be impossible to see, hear and feel something. For instance, as written earlier in the previous paragraph, especially, the muscular system would not work properly. How the conduction of messages is carried out along these natural wires is illustrated below.
The passage from which this paragraph is taken is about _____.
The paragraph begins As for the nervous system and refers to the muscular system in the previous paragraph. This shows the whole passage deals with several systems in the body, one after another. Not the nervous system: that is the topic of this paragraph only, not of the whole passage.
Question 8
The paragraph that follows this one is possibly about _____.
The last sentence points forward: How the conduction of messages is carried out along these natural wires is illustrated below. The 'natural wires' are the nerves, so the next paragraph shows how messages travel along the nerves.
Question 9
It is revealed in the passage that _____.
The passage says that without the nervous system the muscular system would not work properly, because nerves direct muscular movements. So the muscular system depends on the nervous system. The other options contradict the text: nerves also direct language learning, and the controlling units are in the brain.
Question 10
Atoms are invisibly small parts of elements. The atom itself is composed of three smaller parts: positive charges and neutral particles in the centre, and after a considerable amount of space, there are rings carrying the other part, negative charges. The weight of the atom is calculated by adding the neutral particles and the positive charges. The negative and positive charges are the same in number. Having an amazingly powerful force, the neutral particle in the centre is the most important part. That is the nuclear energy we all know. When a neutral particle, for instance, from a uranium atom is disconnected from the centre, the atom loses its stability and becomes radioactive. This outgoing particle hits one atom after another, causing a consecutive reaction that produces nuclear energy.
If the negative charges and the positive ones are added, _____.
Negative and positive charges are the only charged parts of the atom, so adding them gives the total number of charges. Not the weight of the atom: the passage says weight is found by adding the neutral particles and the positive charges, not the negative ones.
Question 11
If a neutral particle flies out of the centre of an atom, _____.
The passage says that when a neutral particle is disconnected from the centre, the atom loses its stability. Loses its balance means the same as loses its stability. The other options are not mentioned in the passage.
Question 12
According to the passage, it wouldn't be right to say that _____.
The passage says the atom loses its stability when a neutral particle is disconnected from the centre. It never says this happens when the atom is pressed, so that statement would be wrong. All the other options agree with the text. Atoms are invisibly small. Negative charges are on rings after a considerable amount of space. Positive and negative charges are the same in number, so a total of 50 means 25 are negative. Nuclear energy comes from a consecutive reaction.
Question 13
One day Josper Fant caught Bolivar skinning a rattlesnake. He assumed that Bolivar was merely going to make himself a rattlesnake belt; however, he happened to turn around as Bolivar sliced the snake right into the stew-pot, a sight which agitated him greatly. He had heard that people ate snakes but had never expected to do so himself. When he told the other hands what he had seen, they were so aroused that they wanted to hang Bolivar on the spot, or at least rope him and drag him through the prickly pear to improve his manners. But when they approached Augustus with the information about the snake, he just laughed at them and attempted to give them a lecture on the culinary properties of a rattlesnake.
Josper Fant became worried _____.
Josper was agitated when he saw the snake go into the stew-pot, which meant he might have to eat it. The passage says he had heard that people ate snakes but had never expected to do so himself. Not the 'grill' option: Bolivar put the snake into a stew-pot. He was not worried about the belt either, because that is what he first assumed and it did not upset him.
Question 14
It is inferred from the passage that _____.
Bolivar calmly cooks the snake, and Augustus laughed and lectured on the culinary properties of a rattlesnake. Both seem familiar with eating it, so we can infer they had probably tasted it before. Not the Josper option: the passage says he had heard that people ate snakes.
Question 15
According to the passage, _____.
The other hands wanted to hang Bolivar on the spot, or at least rope him and drag him through the prickly pear to improve his manners. This is a harsh punishment meant to change his behaviour. The passage does not say they decided against punishing him, or that Augustus was their usual judge.
Question 16
Deep in the centre of the human brain are a number of specific structures, such as the hypothalamus and limbic system, which make up the "emotional brain." These brain structures play important roles in regulating a number of physical and emotional functions, including appetite, sleep cycles, and sexual drive. They include pleasure centres and pain centres, operating to control feelings and emotional expression. When your emotional brain is functioning normally, you are able to get a good night's sleep, feel rested, have normal sexual interest and appetite, and not feel overwhelmed by intense feelings. In other words, you feel normal. However, in biological depressions, such brain areas begin to malfunction and can produce a number of significant symptoms.
It can be concluded from the passage that _____.
The last sentence says that in biological depressions, such brain areas begin to malfunction. So certain types of depression go together with a malfunction of the emotional brain. Not the option 'must have been depressed': the passage never says that a loss of appetite or sexual interest always means depression.
Question 17
The emotional brain _____.
When the emotional brain is functioning normally, you sleep well, feel rested, have a normal appetite and are not overwhelmed by intense feelings. In short, you feel normal, at ease both physically and emotionally. Not 'all the brain structures': it is made of a number of specific structures.
Question 18
Sleeplessness may occur _____.
A good night's sleep is linked to the emotional brain functioning normally, and sleep cycles are among the functions it regulates. So when these areas malfunction, sleeplessness can result. The other options are either not mentioned or reverse the logic.
Question 19
Most debates about whether or not men are stronger than women are meaningless because the disputants fail to consider that the word "stronger" may mean many things. Most men can surpass most women in lifting heavy weights, striking an object (say a baseball or an opponent's jaw), running, jumping, or doing heavy physical labour. However, the statistics indicate that most women live longer than most men, that they have a better chance of resisting disease, and that they can beat men at operations requiring finger dexterity and the ability to work accurately under monotonous conditions. On this kind of proof, it would be legitimate to argue that women are stronger than men. The truth is that each sex can surpass the other in certain kinds of activities. To say that one is stronger than the other is to indulge in an argument that would not arise if the word "stronger" were more sharply defined.
It will prove inconclusive to argue about whether women are weaker than men _____.
The passage says these debates are meaningless because stronger may mean many things, and each sex can surpass the other in certain kinds of activities. So the argument leads nowhere unless we limit it to one particular domain, such as lifting weights or resisting disease. Not the heavy-work option: it gives only one side of the argument and does not explain why the debate is inconclusive.
Question 20
It would be justifiable to argue that women are stronger than men only _____.
Women's advantages include the ability to work accurately under monotonous conditions, and on this kind of proof it would be legitimate to say women are stronger. So the claim is justified only in such areas. Not the 'hands more skilfully though men outlive them' option: the passage says women live longer than most men.
Question 21
It is stressed in the passage that _____.
The passage begins and ends with the same point. Debates are meaningless because stronger may mean many things, and the argument would not arise if the word were more sharply defined. Not 'men are stronger only in a few kinds of activities': the passage says each sex is better at certain activities, without saying that men's areas are few.
Question 22
Is it possible to mould the unborn child's character by the conduct of the mother during pregnancy? What we know of prenatal development makes all this seem utterly impossible. How could such extremely complex influences pass from the mother to the child? There is no connection between their nervous systems. Even the blood vessels of mother and child do not join directly. They lie side by side and the chemicals are interchanged through the walls by a process that we call osmosis. An emotional shock to the mother will influence her child because it alters the activity of her glands and so the chemistry of her blood. Any chemical change in the mother's blood will affect the child – for better or worse. However, we cannot see how a liking for mathematics or poetic genius can be dissolved in the blood and produce a similar liking or genius in the child.
It is expressed in the passage that _____.
The passage asks whether the mother's conduct can mould the unborn child's character. It answers that what we know makes all this seem utterly impossible. Not the 'psychologically ill' option: an emotional shock affects the child's blood chemistry, but the passage does not say the baby will be born ill.
Question 23
Even though the blood vessels of mother and child are indirectly connected, _____.
The blood vessels do not join directly, but chemicals pass through their walls by osmosis. An emotional shock to the mother changes her blood chemistry, and this affects the child. Not the personality-traits option: the passage says talents like poetic genius cannot pass through the blood.
Question 24
According to the passage, the present birth technology _____.
The last sentence says we cannot see how a liking for mathematics or poetic genius could pass through the blood to the child. So there is still no known way to give an unborn baby desirable traits. The option can imprint poetic genius says the opposite. The other options (predicting sex, in vitro development, operations) are not mentioned at all.
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