Reading Comprehension (GMAT)

What is the structure of the passage?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question.
Some scholars believe that the Neanderthals died out at the hands of the more graceful, more intelligent and more numerous Homo sapiens. These scholars also seem to take an almost perverted pleasure in projecting the beetle browed Neanderthals as being oafish and dim witted, and go on to propose that the modern humans survived because of their superior mental prowess. However, recent research suggests that the Neanderthals had a brain size that rivaled modern humans, and were physically fitter too. Neanderthals are believed to have been present in Europe and in a large part of Eurasia while all of the Homo sapiens are believed to have evolved from ancestors that came mainly out of Central Africa. One does feel like saying Hail Hitler to all the racists, Ku Klux Klan members, and the assorted White supremacists at that. If populations of both these races were not very sizeable, as is a reason to believe, it leads one to the belief that it could not have been a struggle for resources or land that would have lead to a clash between them
Another theory contends that the Neanderthals were the victims of a rapid change in their environs. It is hypothesized that Europe was suddenly overrun with several volcanic eruptions and perhaps the earth also went through a gelid period and both these reasons combined with other reasons to cause the obliteration of the Neanderthals. The theory contends that the erstwhile denizens were caught off guard and that even though they were quite accustomed to the extremely cold environs of the continent at that time, the magnitude and the sheer scale of the metamorphosis was too extreme to handle. Neanderthals were also let down by their societal makeup. All members of the society were involved in hunting big and mid sized game, and that activity resulted in a lot of falls and breaks. As there was no division of labor that could have resulted in women and children trapping small game and otherwise be engaged in innocuous pursuits, there was no insulation for their children or for the procreators of the race and that in itself played a preeminent part in the untimely demise of the race. There is always a serpent in paradise and even this explanation has unsurprisingly found its fair share of detractors. The naysayer tribe points to the fact that there is no credible evidence that there was a spurt in volcanic activity concomitantly in the region that the Neanderthals were supposed to have originated from and mostly lived and hunted in.

What can be determined about the turn of events of the era described in the passage?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question.
Some scholars believe that the Neanderthals died out at the hands of the more graceful, more intelligent and more numerous Homo sapiens. These scholars also seem to take an almost perverted pleasure in projecting the beetle browed Neanderthals as being oafish and dim witted, and go on to propose that the modern humans survived because of their superior mental prowess. However, recent research suggests that the Neanderthals had a brain size that rivaled modern humans, and were physically fitter too. Neanderthals are believed to have been present in Europe and in a large part of Eurasia while all of the Homo sapiens are believed to have evolved from ancestors that came mainly out of Central Africa. One does feel like saying Hail Hitler to all the racists, Ku Klux Klan members, and the assorted White supremacists at that. If populations of both these races were not very sizeable, as is a reason to believe, it leads one to the belief that it could not have been a struggle for resources or land that would have lead to a clash between them
Another theory contends that the Neanderthals were the victims of a rapid change in their environs. It is hypothesized that Europe was suddenly overrun with several volcanic eruptions and perhaps the earth also went through a gelid period and both these reasons combined with other reasons to cause the obliteration of the Neanderthals. The theory contends that the erstwhile denizens were caught off guard and that even though they were quite accustomed to the extremely cold environs of the continent at that time, the magnitude and the sheer scale of the metamorphosis was too extreme to handle. Neanderthals were also let down by their societal makeup. All members of the society were involved in hunting big and mid sized game, and that activity resulted in a lot of falls and breaks. As there was no division of labor that could have resulted in women and children trapping small game and otherwise be engaged in innocuous pursuits, there was no insulation for their children or for the procreators of the race and that in itself played a preeminent part in the untimely demise of the race. There is always a serpent in paradise and even this explanation has unsurprisingly found its fair share of detractors. The naysayer tribe points to the fact that there is no credible evidence that there was a spurt in volcanic activity concomitantly in the region that the Neanderthals were supposed to have originated from and mostly lived and hunted in.

The author of the passage is most likely

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question.
The American civil war, the Indian independence struggle, the end of South Africa’s apartheid, all began with dissatisfaction with the status quo. India, with its huge cultural diversity, has always been susceptible to brewing dissatisfactions of various hues. According to current figures, anywhere between 150 and 250 districts, in more than fifteen states, are affected by Maoist violence. On the surface, one would feel that it is again an ideological fight but scratching further, one would discover that ideology has been spawned by the force of circumstance and most of the players, inhabiting nearly forty percent of India’s territory, are just caught up in a maelstrom of events and consequences beyond their control.
That the Maoist movement has managed to find a broad based appeal is symptomatic of a systemic malaise within the nation, its administration and the society. Instead of trying to find fault with the rebels, the country will be better served by those who try to find the reasons for its spread. And let us not give undue importance to the rabble rousing, self-serving ideologues but let us talk about the common citizen, who has no desire to take sides with any ideology and just wants to live a life of peace and plenty. In the last sixty years or so since independence the quality of life of the ordinary citizen has also improved considerably. Many Indians are living a life of comfort and access to resources that their predecessor generations might not even have thought possible. The benefits of progress however have failed to reach a vast majority of the so called Maoist infested populace and herein lies the rub.
A strange dichotomy is that the problem is endemic in some of the most natural resource rich states in the union but it is the denizens of these states that are struggling to find two square meals a day. The nation’s progress has bypassed most of them barring a few oasis of prosperity where a few cities have managed to keep up with the mainstream progress. In a land where caste barriers and resulting discrimination are nearly as rigid and rampant as they were centuries ago, and economic empowerment is lopsided, it is not difficult to find reasons for disenchantment with the democratic, socialist republic. For immense personal gains, corrupt politicians and opportunistic bureaucrats, colluding with greedy corporations have been exploiting the abundance of natural resources without sharing the spoils with the people of the land. The tribals, whose culture and existence is being threatened by the mining activities have been forced to take to the gun when there has been no restitution from the governance. Giving this struggle the name of clash of ideologies is unnecessary glamorization of the issue. Even if their struggle against state oppression succeeds in formation of an independent small nation, the liberators will turn oppressors and the wheel will have turned a full circle for the masses.

Which of the following statements is the author likely to least agree with?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question.
The American civil war, the Indian independence struggle, the end of South Africa’s apartheid, all began with dissatisfaction with the status quo. India, with its huge cultural diversity, has always been susceptible to brewing dissatisfactions of various hues. According to current figures, anywhere between 150 and 250 districts, in more than fifteen states, are affected by Maoist violence. On the surface, one would feel that it is again an ideological fight but scratching further, one would discover that ideology has been spawned by the force of circumstance and most of the players, inhabiting nearly forty percent of India’s territory, are just caught up in a maelstrom of events and consequences beyond their control.
That the Maoist movement has managed to find a broad based appeal is symptomatic of a systemic malaise within the nation, its administration and the society. Instead of trying to find fault with the rebels, the country will be better served by those who try to find the reasons for its spread. And let us not give undue importance to the rabble rousing, self-serving ideologues but let us talk about the common citizen, who has no desire to take sides with any ideology and just wants to live a life of peace and plenty. In the last sixty years or so since independence the quality of life of the ordinary citizen has also improved considerably. Many Indians are living a life of comfort and access to resources that their predecessor generations might not even have thought possible. The benefits of progress however have failed to reach a vast majority of the so called Maoist infested populace and herein lies the rub.
A strange dichotomy is that the problem is endemic in some of the most natural resource rich states in the union but it is the denizens of these states that are struggling to find two square meals a day. The nation’s progress has bypassed most of them barring a few oasis of prosperity where a few cities have managed to keep up with the mainstream progress. In a land where caste barriers and resulting discrimination are nearly as rigid and rampant as they were centuries ago, and economic empowerment is lopsided, it is not difficult to find reasons for disenchantment with the democratic, socialist republic. For immense personal gains, corrupt politicians and opportunistic bureaucrats, colluding with greedy corporations have been exploiting the abundance of natural resources without sharing the spoils with the people of the land. The tribals, whose culture and existence is being threatened by the mining activities have been forced to take to the gun when there has been no restitution from the governance. Giving this struggle the name of clash of ideologies is unnecessary glamorization of the issue. Even if their struggle against state oppression succeeds in formation of an independent small nation, the liberators will turn oppressors and the wheel will have turned a full circle for the masses.

What message does the author intend to communicate when he states, “Giving this struggle the name of clash of ideologies is unnecessary glamorization of the issue”?

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question.
The American civil war, the Indian independence struggle, the end of South Africa’s apartheid, all began with dissatisfaction with the status quo. India, with its huge cultural diversity, has always been susceptible to brewing dissatisfactions of various hues. According to current figures, anywhere between 150 and 250 districts, in more than fifteen states, are affected by Maoist violence. On the surface, one would feel that it is again an ideological fight but scratching further, one would discover that ideology has been spawned by the force of circumstance and most of the players, inhabiting nearly forty percent of India’s territory, are just caught up in a maelstrom of events and consequences beyond their control.
That the Maoist movement has managed to find a broad based appeal is symptomatic of a systemic malaise within the nation, its administration and the society. Instead of trying to find fault with the rebels, the country will be better served by those who try to find the reasons for its spread. And let us not give undue importance to the rabble rousing, self-serving ideologues but let us talk about the common citizen, who has no desire to take sides with any ideology and just wants to live a life of peace and plenty. In the last sixty years or so since independence the quality of life of the ordinary citizen has also improved considerably. Many Indians are living a life of comfort and access to resources that their predecessor generations might not even have thought possible. The benefits of progress however have failed to reach a vast majority of the so called Maoist infested populace and herein lies the rub.
A strange dichotomy is that the problem is endemic in some of the most natural resource rich states in the union but it is the denizens of these states that are struggling to find two square meals a day. The nation’s progress has bypassed most of them barring a few oasis of prosperity where a few cities have managed to keep up with the mainstream progress. In a land where caste barriers and resulting discrimination are nearly as rigid and rampant as they were centuries ago, and economic empowerment is lopsided, it is not difficult to find reasons for disenchantment with the democratic, socialist republic. For immense personal gains, corrupt politicians and opportunistic bureaucrats, colluding with greedy corporations have been exploiting the abundance of natural resources without sharing the spoils with the people of the land. The tribals, whose culture and existence is being threatened by the mining activities have been forced to take to the gun when there has been no restitution from the governance. Giving this struggle the name of clash of ideologies is unnecessary glamorization of the issue. Even if their struggle against state oppression succeeds in formation of an independent small nation, the liberators will turn oppressors and the wheel will have turned a full circle for the masses.

The author seems to be making a case for

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question.
Things are continually happening all around us that we see with but half an eye. They are in the “fringe” of consciousness, and we deliberately ignore them. Many more things come to us in the form of sense-impressions that clamorously assail our sense-organs, but no effort of the will is needed to ignore them. We are absolutely impervious to them and unconscious of them because by the selection of our life interests we have closed the doors against them. In either case, whether in the “fringe" of consciousness or entirely outside of consciousness, these unperceived sensations will be found to be sensory images that have no connection with the present subject of thought. They therefore attract, and we spare them, no part of our attention.
Just as each of our individual sense-organs selects from the multitude of ether vibrations constantly beating upon the surface of the body only those waves to the velocity of which it is attuned, so each one of us as an integral personality selects from the stream of sensory experiences only those particular objects of attention that are in some way related to the present or habitual trend of thought.