Reading Comprehension Questions

Multiple choice

The passage points towards which of the following phenomena?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Look past the range of the moment, you who cry that you fear to compete with men of superior intelligence, that their mind is a threat to your livelihood, that the strong leave no chance to the weak in a market of voluntary trade . . . When you live in a rational society, where men are free to trade, you receive an incalculable bonus: the material value of your work is determined not only by your effort, but by the effort of the best productive minds who exist in the world around you . . .

The machine, the frozen form of a living intelligence is the power that expends the potential of your life by raising the productivity of your time. . . Every man is free to rise as far as he’s able or willing, but it’s only the degree to which he thinks that determines the degree to which he’ll rise. Physical labor as such can extend no further than the range of the moment. The man who does no more than physical labor, consumes the material value-equivalent of his own contribution to the process of production, and leaves no further value, neither for himself nor others. But the man who produces an idea in any field of rational endeavor – the man who discovers new knowledge – is the permanent benefactor of humanity. . . It is only the value of an idea that can be shared with unlimited numbers of men, making all shares richer at no one’s sacrifice or loss, raising the productive capacity of whatever labor they perform. . . .

In proportion to the mental energy he spent, the man who creates a new invention receives but a small percentage of his value in terms of material payment, no matter what fortune he makes, no matter what millions he earns. But the man who works as a janitor in the factory producing that invention, receives an enormous payment in proportion to the mental effort that his job requires of him. And the same is true of all men between, on all levels of ambition and ability. The man at the top of the intellectual pyramid contributes the most of all those below him, but gets nothing except his material payment, receiving no intellectual bonus from others to add to the value of his time. The man at the bottom who, left to himself, would starve in his hopeless ineptitude, contributes nothing to those above him, but receives the bonus of all of their brains. Such is the nature of the “competition” between the strong and the weak of the intellect. Such is the pattern of “exploitation” for which you have damned the strong.

  1. Equality of benefits

  2. Negation of the archaic

  3. Social dependence of man

  4. Equal distribution of resources

  5. Existence of opposites in the world

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(2) is the right choice as the passage deals with the idea that the old pre - conceived notions should be replaced by the ideas based on up-to-date reasoning.

Multiple choice

The 'good' in the passage can be all of the following except ________.

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

There are, in essence, three schools of thought on the nature of the good: the intrinsic, the subjective, and the objective. The intrinsic theory holds that the good is inherent in certain things or actions as such, regardless of their context and consequences, regardless of any benefit or injury they may cause to the actors and subjects involved. It is a theory that divorces the concept of “good” from beneficiaries, and the concept of “value” from valuer and purpose – claiming that the good is good in, by, and of itself.

The subjective theory holds that the good bears no relation to the facts of reality, that it is the product of a man’s consciousness, created by his feelings, desires, “intuitions,” or whims, and that it is merely an “arbitrary postulate” or an “emotional commitment.”

The intrinsic theory holds that the good resides in some sort of reality, independent of man’s consciousness whereas the subjectivist theory holds that the good resides in man’s consciousness, independent of reality.

The objective theory holds that the good is neither an attribute of “things in themselves” nor of man’s emotional states, but an evaluation of the facts of reality by man’s consciousness according to a rational standard of value. (Rational, in this context, means: derived from the facts of reality and validated by a process of reason.) The objective theory holds that the good is an aspect of reality in relations to man – and that it must be discovered, not invented, by man. Fundamental to an objective theory of values is the question: Of value to whom and for what? An objective theory does not permit context-dropping or “concept-stealing”; it does not permit the separation of “value” from “purpose,” of the good from beneficiaries, and of man’s actions from reason.

  1. a general term of approval or commendation becoming to a purpose

  2. a moral justification of actions

  3. objective good

  4. common good

  5. the unspeakable abstraction with supernatural dimensions

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

(5) is the right CHOICE as it is a wrong STATEMENT. The passage talks about the concept of 'good' as an abstract concept, nothing to do with supernatural dimensions.

Multiple choice

What is the role played by the second paragraph in the passage?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Look past the range of the moment, you who cry that you fear to compete with men of superior intelligence, that their mind is a threat to your livelihood, that the strong leave no chance to the weak in a market of voluntary trade . . . When you live in a rational society, where men are free to trade, you receive an incalculable bonus: the material value of your work is determined not only by your effort, but by the effort of the best productive minds who exist in the world around you . . .

The machine, the frozen form of a living intelligence is the power that expends the potential of your life by raising the productivity of your time. . . Every man is free to rise as far as he’s able or willing, but it’s only the degree to which he thinks that determines the degree to which he’ll rise. Physical labor as such can extend no further than the range of the moment. The man who does no more than physical labor, consumes the material value-equivalent of his own contribution to the process of production, and leaves no further value, neither for himself nor others. But the man who produces an idea in any field of rational endeavor – the man who discovers new knowledge – is the permanent benefactor of humanity. . . It is only the value of an idea that can be shared with unlimited numbers of men, making all shares richer at no one’s sacrifice or loss, raising the productive capacity of whatever labor they perform. . . .

In proportion to the mental energy he spent, the man who creates a new invention receives but a small percentage of his value in terms of material payment, no matter what fortune he makes, no matter what millions he earns. But the man who works as a janitor in the factory producing that invention, receives an enormous payment in proportion to the mental effort that his job requires of him. And the same is true of all men between, on all levels of ambition and ability. The man at the top of the intellectual pyramid contributes the most of all those below him, but gets nothing except his material payment, receiving no intellectual bonus from others to add to the value of his time. The man at the bottom who, left to himself, would starve in his hopeless ineptitude, contributes nothing to those above him, but receives the bonus of all of their brains. Such is the nature of the “competition” between the strong and the weak of the intellect. Such is the pattern of “exploitation” for which you have damned the strong.

  1. It helps in the formulation of the conclusion.

  2. It gives an explanation of the conclusion.

  3. It is negated by the conclusion.

  4. It is the subpart of the conclusion.

  5. It gives the conciliatory evidence to the conclusion.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(2) is the right choice as the paragraph under consideration explains the conclusion that has been mentioned in the first paragraph itself.

Multiple choice

Which of the following way describes the passage?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

There are, in essence, three schools of thought on the nature of the good: the intrinsic, the subjective, and the objective. The intrinsic theory holds that the good is inherent in certain things or actions as such, regardless of their context and consequences, regardless of any benefit or injury they may cause to the actors and subjects involved. It is a theory that divorces the concept of “good” from beneficiaries, and the concept of “value” from valuer and purpose – claiming that the good is good in, by, and of itself.

The subjective theory holds that the good bears no relation to the facts of reality, that it is the product of a man’s consciousness, created by his feelings, desires, “intuitions,” or whims, and that it is merely an “arbitrary postulate” or an “emotional commitment.”

The intrinsic theory holds that the good resides in some sort of reality, independent of man’s consciousness whereas the subjectivist theory holds that the good resides in man’s consciousness, independent of reality.

The objective theory holds that the good is neither an attribute of “things in themselves” nor of man’s emotional states, but an evaluation of the facts of reality by man’s consciousness according to a rational standard of value. (Rational, in this context, means: derived from the facts of reality and validated by a process of reason.) The objective theory holds that the good is an aspect of reality in relations to man – and that it must be discovered, not invented, by man. Fundamental to an objective theory of values is the question: Of value to whom and for what? An objective theory does not permit context-dropping or “concept-stealing”; it does not permit the separation of “value” from “purpose,” of the good from beneficiaries, and of man’s actions from reason.

  1. The author gives the premise of two interchangeable theories

  2. The passage starts with various interpretations of a phenomenon and subsequently withdraws his claims

  3. The author gives 3 postulates of an abstraction and then goes about explicating the three

  4. The author postulates various premises of the 3 theories of a concept

  5. The author brings into the picture, the arbitrariness of the three given postulates

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

(3) is the right choice as the passage differentiates and further explains the three forms of truth in the passage.

Multiple choice

What part does the third paragraph plays in the passage?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Worth a Pound of Cure - Catching the flu--the right way

A global influenza pandemic is closer than at any time in a generation. Klaus Stöhr, head of flu surveillance at the World Health Organization, made that uncharacteristically dramatic declaration back in November, before convening an emergency summit of vaccine manufacturers and national health agency officials. The reason was the escalating avian influenza crisis in 10 Asian countries, which poses a direct threat to human health.

Because the avian virus, known as H5N1, is lethal in chickens, identifying local outbreaks was easy. Stöhr was alarmed by evidence that the virus is also widespread in the region's domestic ducks, which show no symptoms. With asymptomatic ducks waddling through barnyards, backyards and kitchens shedding virus, hope of stamping out this largest avian flu outbreak in history has dimmed. And the likelihood of human exposure to the virus, which could spark a pandemic, has increased. "We know the recipe, and all the ingredients are there," Stöhr said.

Flu pandemics are caused by viruses with surface proteins unfamiliar to human immune systems. In the pandemic strains of 1957 and 1968, such proteins came from flu viruses that previously infected only birds. That was possible because flu is a promiscuous gene swapper. If an avian strain meets flu strain adapted to spreading among mammals, their progeny may possess the deadly combination of protein novelty and easy transmissibility between humans. The exchange can happen inside animal hosts susceptible to both avian and human flu strains, such as pigs. Or it might happen inside a farmer's child infected with this season's circulating human flu strain, whose healthy-looking pet duckling then gives her H5N1. In the past year more than 40 people in Thailand and Vietnam have already contracted the avian virus, and more than 30 of them have died from it.

Beginning on page 62 of this issue, Jeffery K. Taubenberger and his colleagues describe their resurrection, literally from the grave, of the virus that killed upward of 40 million people in 1918–1919. And they offer a chilling conclusion about its origin. Although certain genes in that virus may have come from a bird strain, the genes look as though they spent significant time evolving in yet another animal before the virus emerged among humans. This unknown source of the 1918 pandemic might even have been a type of bird or animal that we don't recognize as a flu carrier.

Systematic surveillance for influenza is currently limited to humans, chickens, swine and horses, with wild waterfowl and shore birds tested less regularly. But few of these samples are closely analyzed, and scientists do not know the dynamics or true scope of the influenza ecosystem. The National Institutes of Health just announced plans to sequence the genomes of existing flu samples. In addition, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and several partners want to create a high-capacity laboratory network dedicated to expanding flu surveillance capability and molecular analysis of influenza viruses. Studying how they evolve and move through human and animal populations might identify new flu reservoirs and enable the emergence of new strains to be predicted.

Start-up costs would equal the price of the two million emergency H5N1 vaccine doses the Department of Health and Human Services ordered in September. The money would be well spent for an ounce of prevention against future flu pandemics.

  1. It supports the premise that flu virus is ominous by elucidating various supporting evidences.

  2. It highlights a flaw in the argument by giving contradicting view points of the same.

  3. It brings the deadliness of the flu virus into the forefront and hence, helps form the conclusion.

  4. It represents the neutral ground in an argument.

  5. It acts as an additional evidence to lead to a conclusion.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

(3) is the right choice as the third paragraph talks about the various reasons due to which the flu virus is considered deadly. Hence, it helps in the formulation of that viewpoint.Option (1) is incorrect since neither the 'flu virus being ominous' is a premise or assumption, nor does the paragraph render evidence in support.

Multiple choice

What does “More and more people are _________ properly educated” represents?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

The disgracefully low level of education in America today is the predictable result of a State-controlled school system. Schooling, to a marked extent, has become a status symbol and a ritual. More and more people are entering college – and fewer and fewer people are emerging properly educated. Our educational system is like a vast bureaucracy, a vast civil service, in which the trend is towards a policy of considering everything about a teacher’s qualifications (such as the number of his publications) except his teaching ability; and of considering everything about a student’s qualifications (such as his “social adaptability”) except his intellectual competence.
The solution is to bring the field of education into the marketplace.

There is an urgent economic need for education. When educational institutions have to compete with one another in the quality of the training they offer – when they have to compete for the value that will be attached to the diplomas they issue – educational standards will necessarily rise. When they have to compete for the services of the best teachers, the teachers who will attract the greatest number of students, then the caliber of teaching – and of teachers’ salaries – will necessarily rise. (Today, the most talented teachers often abandon their profession and enter private industry, where they know their efforts will be better rewarded.) When the economic principles that have resulted in the superlative efficiency of American industry are permitted to operate in the field of education, the result will be a revolution, in the direction of unprecedented educational development and growth.

Education should be liberated from the control or intervention of government, and turned over to profit-making private enterprise, not because education is unimportant, but because education is so crucially important.

What must be challenged is the prevalent belief that education is some sort of “natural right” – in effect, a free gift of nature. There are no such free gifts. But it is in the interests of statism to foster this delusion – in order to throw a smokescreen over the issue of whose freedom must be sacrificed to pay for such “free gifts.”

As a result of the fact that education has been tax-supported for such a long time, most people find it difficult to project an alternative. Yet there is nothing unique about education that distinguishes it from the many other human needs which are filled by private enterprise.

 

  1. a paradox

  2. a satire

  3. a parabola

  4. an allegory

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(2) is the right choice. Although the author does present a paradox in the statement, but he does so in order to ridicule today's education system. Hence, it is more of a satire.

Multiple choice

The passage answers which of the following questions?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

The disgracefully low level of education in America today is the predictable result of a State-controlled school system. Schooling, to a marked extent, has become a status symbol and a ritual. More and more people are entering college – and fewer and fewer people are emerging properly educated. Our educational system is like a vast bureaucracy, a vast civil service, in which the trend is towards a policy of considering everything about a teacher’s qualifications (such as the number of his publications) except his teaching ability; and of considering everything about a student’s qualifications (such as his “social adaptability”) except his intellectual competence.
The solution is to bring the field of education into the marketplace.

There is an urgent economic need for education. When educational institutions have to compete with one another in the quality of the training they offer – when they have to compete for the value that will be attached to the diplomas they issue – educational standards will necessarily rise. When they have to compete for the services of the best teachers, the teachers who will attract the greatest number of students, then the caliber of teaching – and of teachers’ salaries – will necessarily rise. (Today, the most talented teachers often abandon their profession and enter private industry, where they know their efforts will be better rewarded.) When the economic principles that have resulted in the superlative efficiency of American industry are permitted to operate in the field of education, the result will be a revolution, in the direction of unprecedented educational development and growth.

Education should be liberated from the control or intervention of government, and turned over to profit-making private enterprise, not because education is unimportant, but because education is so crucially important.

What must be challenged is the prevalent belief that education is some sort of “natural right” – in effect, a free gift of nature. There are no such free gifts. But it is in the interests of statism to foster this delusion – in order to throw a smokescreen over the issue of whose freedom must be sacrificed to pay for such “free gifts.”

As a result of the fact that education has been tax-supported for such a long time, most people find it difficult to project an alternative. Yet there is nothing unique about education that distinguishes it from the many other human needs which are filled by private enterprise.

 

  1. Should education be made compulsory?

  2. Should the state possess the entire responsibility of education?

  3. Should education be converted into a commodity?

  4. How can the importance of education maintained?

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

(3) is the right choice as the answer to the question given in the choice is clear from the following line of the passage: “The solution is to bring the field of education into the marketplace.”

Multiple choice

The concept of common-good can be all except _______________.

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

There are, in essence, three schools of thought on the nature of the good: the intrinsic, the subjective, and the objective. The intrinsic theory holds that the good is inherent in certain things or actions as such, regardless of their context and consequences, regardless of any benefit or injury they may cause to the actors and subjects involved. It is a theory that divorces the concept of “good” from beneficiaries, and the concept of “value” from valuer and purpose – claiming that the good is good in, by, and of itself.

The subjective theory holds that the good bears no relation to the facts of reality, that it is the product of a man’s consciousness, created by his feelings, desires, “intuitions,” or whims, and that it is merely an “arbitrary postulate” or an “emotional commitment.”

The intrinsic theory holds that the good resides in some sort of reality, independent of man’s consciousness whereas the subjectivist theory holds that the good resides in man’s consciousness, independent of reality.

The objective theory holds that the good is neither an attribute of “things in themselves” nor of man’s emotional states, but an evaluation of the facts of reality by man’s consciousness according to a rational standard of value. (Rational, in this context, means: derived from the facts of reality and validated by a process of reason.) The objective theory holds that the good is an aspect of reality in relations to man – and that it must be discovered, not invented, by man. Fundamental to an objective theory of values is the question: Of value to whom and for what? An objective theory does not permit context-dropping or “concept-stealing”; it does not permit the separation of “value” from “purpose,” of the good from beneficiaries, and of man’s actions from reason.

  1. morally unifying

  2. generally considered to be superior to the individual good

  3. where majority represents commonality

  4. where common-good can lead to tyranny - due to difference in perceptions of good

  5. it is obsolete on its own - only human beings give it a sembelance of authenticity

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(2) is the right choice and it can be derived from the general definition of 'common good' which is the collective benefit of a particular group and it is always placed above the individual benefits.

Multiple choice

The first line of the passage talks about a situation that is _____________.

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

The disgracefully low level of education in America today is the predictable result of a State-controlled school system. Schooling, to a marked extent, has become a status symbol and a ritual. More and more people are entering college – and fewer and fewer people are emerging properly educated. Our educational system is like a vast bureaucracy, a vast civil service, in which the trend is towards a policy of considering everything about a teacher’s qualifications (such as the number of his publications) except his teaching ability; and of considering everything about a student’s qualifications (such as his “social adaptability”) except his intellectual competence.
The solution is to bring the field of education into the marketplace.

There is an urgent economic need for education. When educational institutions have to compete with one another in the quality of the training they offer – when they have to compete for the value that will be attached to the diplomas they issue – educational standards will necessarily rise. When they have to compete for the services of the best teachers, the teachers who will attract the greatest number of students, then the caliber of teaching – and of teachers’ salaries – will necessarily rise. (Today, the most talented teachers often abandon their profession and enter private industry, where they know their efforts will be better rewarded.) When the economic principles that have resulted in the superlative efficiency of American industry are permitted to operate in the field of education, the result will be a revolution, in the direction of unprecedented educational development and growth.

Education should be liberated from the control or intervention of government, and turned over to profit-making private enterprise, not because education is unimportant, but because education is so crucially important.

What must be challenged is the prevalent belief that education is some sort of “natural right” – in effect, a free gift of nature. There are no such free gifts. But it is in the interests of statism to foster this delusion – in order to throw a smokescreen over the issue of whose freedom must be sacrificed to pay for such “free gifts.”

As a result of the fact that education has been tax-supported for such a long time, most people find it difficult to project an alternative. Yet there is nothing unique about education that distinguishes it from the many other human needs which are filled by private enterprise.

 

  1. very revolutionary

  2. very run-the-mill in nature

  3. foreseeable due to the presence of certain variables

  4. highly unlikely due to the absence of certain important preconditions

  5. archaic and hence obsolete

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

(3) is the right choice as the paragraph talks about certain situation that is inevitable and that is already making its presence felt due to certain loop-holes in something as important as education policies.

Multiple choice

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

I. Economic power is the function of totality of public opinion. II. Egalitarianism plays a very important role in the economy especially where choice comes into picture. III. There is nothing arbitrary where the economy is concerned.

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

What is economic power? It is the power to produce and to trade what one has produced. In a free economy, where no man or group of men can use physical coercion against anyone, economic power can be achieved only by voluntary means: by the voluntary choice and agreement of all those who participate in the process of production and trade. In a free market, all prices, wages, and profits are determined – not by the arbitrary whim of the rich or of the poor, not by anyone’s “greed” or by anyone’s need – but by the law of supply and demand.

The mechanism of a free market reflects and sums up all the economic choices and decisions made by all the participants. Men trade their goods or services by mutual consent to mutual advantage, according to their own independent, uncoerced judgment. A man can grow rich only if he is able to offer better values – better products or services, at a lower price – than others are able to offer.

Wealth, in a free market, is achieved by a free, general, “democratic” vote – by the sales and the purchases of every individual who takes part in the economic life of the country. Whenever you buy one product rather than another, you are voting for the success of some manufacturer. And, in this type of voting, every man votes only on those matters which he is qualified to judge: on his own preferences, interests, and needs. No one has the power to decide for others or to substitute his judgment for theirs; no one has the power to appoint himself “the voice of the public” and to lave the public voiceless and disfranchised.

 

  1. I

  2. II

  3. III

  4. I & II

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

(3) is the right choice as only the IInd statement can be derived from the passage. It can be derived from: “Wealth, in a free market, is achieved by a free, general, “democratic” vote …the power to appoint himself “ the voice of the public” and to lave the public voiceless and disfranchised.

Multiple choice

The concept of common good is all-encompassing according to ______________________.

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

There are, in essence, three schools of thought on the nature of the good: the intrinsic, the subjective, and the objective. The intrinsic theory holds that the good is inherent in certain things or actions as such, regardless of their context and consequences, regardless of any benefit or injury they may cause to the actors and subjects involved. It is a theory that divorces the concept of “good” from beneficiaries, and the concept of “value” from valuer and purpose – claiming that the good is good in, by, and of itself.

The subjective theory holds that the good bears no relation to the facts of reality, that it is the product of a man’s consciousness, created by his feelings, desires, “intuitions,” or whims, and that it is merely an “arbitrary postulate” or an “emotional commitment.”

The intrinsic theory holds that the good resides in some sort of reality, independent of man’s consciousness whereas the subjectivist theory holds that the good resides in man’s consciousness, independent of reality.

The objective theory holds that the good is neither an attribute of “things in themselves” nor of man’s emotional states, but an evaluation of the facts of reality by man’s consciousness according to a rational standard of value. (Rational, in this context, means: derived from the facts of reality and validated by a process of reason.) The objective theory holds that the good is an aspect of reality in relations to man – and that it must be discovered, not invented, by man. Fundamental to an objective theory of values is the question: Of value to whom and for what? An objective theory does not permit context-dropping or “concept-stealing”; it does not permit the separation of “value” from “purpose,” of the good from beneficiaries, and of man’s actions from reason.

  1. intrinsic truth

  2. subjective truth

  3. objective truth

  4. intrinsic and subjective truth

  5. none of the above

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

(1) is the right choice as the passage postulates that intrinsic truth believes in a permanence of truth in certain concepts regardless of their individual effects. That is what common good state that whole is more important than the part.

Multiple choice

The main principle talked about in the passage is ____________.

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

What is economic power? It is the power to produce and to trade what one has produced. In a free economy, where no man or group of men can use physical coercion against anyone, economic power can be achieved only by voluntary means: by the voluntary choice and agreement of all those who participate in the process of production and trade. In a free market, all prices, wages, and profits are determined – not by the arbitrary whim of the rich or of the poor, not by anyone’s “greed” or by anyone’s need – but by the law of supply and demand.

The mechanism of a free market reflects and sums up all the economic choices and decisions made by all the participants. Men trade their goods or services by mutual consent to mutual advantage, according to their own independent, uncoerced judgment. A man can grow rich only if he is able to offer better values – better products or services, at a lower price – than others are able to offer.

Wealth, in a free market, is achieved by a free, general, “democratic” vote – by the sales and the purchases of every individual who takes part in the economic life of the country. Whenever you buy one product rather than another, you are voting for the success of some manufacturer. And, in this type of voting, every man votes only on those matters which he is qualified to judge: on his own preferences, interests, and needs. No one has the power to decide for others or to substitute his judgment for theirs; no one has the power to appoint himself “the voice of the public” and to lave the public voiceless and disfranchised.

 

  1. communism

  2. capitalism

  3. democracy

  4. socialism

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(2) is the right choice according to the following lines that perfectly explains the general principals of capitalism: “Men trade their goods or services by mutual consent to mutual advantage, according to their own independent, uncoerced judgment. A man can grow rich only if he is able to offer better values - better products or services, at a lower price - than others are able to offer.”

Multiple choice

According to the passage, which of the following statements can come under the general heading of something that is “intrinsically good”?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

There are, in essence, three schools of thought on the nature of the good: the intrinsic, the subjective, and the objective. The intrinsic theory holds that the good is inherent in certain things or actions as such, regardless of their context and consequences, regardless of any benefit or injury they may cause to the actors and subjects involved. It is a theory that divorces the concept of “good” from beneficiaries, and the concept of “value” from valuer and purpose – claiming that the good is good in, by, and of itself.

The subjective theory holds that the good bears no relation to the facts of reality, that it is the product of a man’s consciousness, created by his feelings, desires, “intuitions,” or whims, and that it is merely an “arbitrary postulate” or an “emotional commitment.”

The intrinsic theory holds that the good resides in some sort of reality, independent of man’s consciousness whereas the subjectivist theory holds that the good resides in man’s consciousness, independent of reality.

The objective theory holds that the good is neither an attribute of “things in themselves” nor of man’s emotional states, but an evaluation of the facts of reality by man’s consciousness according to a rational standard of value. (Rational, in this context, means: derived from the facts of reality and validated by a process of reason.) The objective theory holds that the good is an aspect of reality in relations to man – and that it must be discovered, not invented, by man. Fundamental to an objective theory of values is the question: Of value to whom and for what? An objective theory does not permit context-dropping or “concept-stealing”; it does not permit the separation of “value” from “purpose,” of the good from beneficiaries, and of man’s actions from reason.

  1. Force invalidates man's judgments and forces him to act against them.

  2. Good is determined by the nature of reality and man's own interpretation of that reality.

  3. Good is only in certain actions which in turn should be followed by all.

  4. Good has no common frame of reference.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

(3) is the right choice as the extension of a concept which is intrinsically good can be derived from the following definition of the something that is intrinsically good from the passage: “The intrinsic theory holds that the good is inherent in certain things or actions as such, regardless of their context and consequences, regardless of any benefit or injury they may cause to the actors and subjects involved. It is a theory that divorces the concept of “good” from beneficiaries, and the concept of “value” from valuer and purpose - claiming that the good is good in, by, and of itself……”

Multiple choice

The tone of the passage is _________.

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

What is economic power? It is the power to produce and to trade what one has produced. In a free economy, where no man or group of men can use physical coercion against anyone, economic power can be achieved only by voluntary means: by the voluntary choice and agreement of all those who participate in the process of production and trade. In a free market, all prices, wages, and profits are determined – not by the arbitrary whim of the rich or of the poor, not by anyone’s “greed” or by anyone’s need – but by the law of supply and demand.

The mechanism of a free market reflects and sums up all the economic choices and decisions made by all the participants. Men trade their goods or services by mutual consent to mutual advantage, according to their own independent, uncoerced judgment. A man can grow rich only if he is able to offer better values – better products or services, at a lower price – than others are able to offer.

Wealth, in a free market, is achieved by a free, general, “democratic” vote – by the sales and the purchases of every individual who takes part in the economic life of the country. Whenever you buy one product rather than another, you are voting for the success of some manufacturer. And, in this type of voting, every man votes only on those matters which he is qualified to judge: on his own preferences, interests, and needs. No one has the power to decide for others or to substitute his judgment for theirs; no one has the power to appoint himself “the voice of the public” and to lave the public voiceless and disfranchised.

 

  1. polemic

  2. pectoral

  3. ameliorated

  4. analytical

  5. appraising

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

(4) is the right choice as the author is analyzing the concept of economic power being voluntary, with not element of compulsion or coercion.

Multiple choice

The prosecution attempted to characterise Mr.Hepburn's speech as a _________.

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

Esteemed members of the Jury …. If you want to condemn these twenty men, then do it. I beseech no kindness on behalf of any one of them. They are no better than any other twenty men or women; they are no better than the millions down through the times who have been indicted and convicted in cases like this. And if it is obligatory for my clients to show that America is like all the rest, if it is necessary that my clients shall go to penitentiary to show it, then let them go. They can afford it if you members of the jury can; make no mistake about that.

The State says my clients “dare to disparage the Constitution.” Yet this police officer (who the State says is a fine, right–living person) twice dishonored the federal Constitution while a prosecuting attorney was standing by. They entered Mr. Foster’s home without a search warrant. They overhauled his papers. They found a flag, a red one, which he had the same right to have in his house that you have to keep a green one, or a yellow one, or any other color, and the officer daringly rolled it up and put another flag on the wall, nailed it there. By what right was that done? What about this kind of patriotism that violates the Constitution? Has it come to pass in this country that officers of the law can trample on constitutional rights and then excuse it in a court of justice?

Most of what has been shown to this jury to incite emotions in your souls has not the least bearing on confirming conspiracy in this case. Take Mr. Hepburn’s speech in Aspen. It is devoid of any conspiracy whatsoever.

Whether that speech was a comic story or was serious, I shall spare the efforts of discussing it. But I shall make a point to state that if it was serious it was as gentle as a summer’s spell of rain in contrast with many of the avowals of those who are accountable for working conditions in this country. We have heard from people of position assert that individuals who carp the actions of those who are getting prosperous should be put in a cement ship with leaden sails and sent out to sea. Every vicious appeal that could be envisaged by the brain has been used by the dominant and the strong. I reiterate, Mr. Hepburn’s speech was gentle in comparison.

My clients are damned because they say in their platform that, while they vote, they believe the ballot is secondary to education and organization. Counsel proposes that those who get something they did not vote for are sinners, but I guess you the jury know in true light that my clients are right. Most of you have an eight–hour day. Did you get it by any vote you ever cast? No. It came about because workers laid down their tools and said we will no longer work until we get an eight–hour day. That is how they got the twelve–hour day, the ten–hour day, and the eight–hour day–not by voting but by laying down their tools. Then when it was over and the victory won . . . then the politicians, in order to get the labor vote, passed legislation creating an eight–hour day. That is how things changed; victory preceded law . . .

You have been informed that if you acquit these defendants you will be despised because you will endorse everything they believe. But I am not here to defend my clients’ belief. I am here to protect their right to communicate their outlook. I ask you, then; to make your mind up on this case upon the facts as you have heard them, in light of the law as you infer it, in light of the history of our country, whose foundation you and I are ought to guard.

  1. harsh disdain

  2. deceptive propaganda

  3. valid criticism

  4. frightening threat

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Correct answer is (4). The line: Take Mr. Hepburn's speech in Aspen. It is devoid of any conspiracy whatsoever indicates that Hepburn's speech was accused of being a conspiracy, and the line I reiterates Mr. Hepburn's speech was gentle in comparison says that it was gentle in comparison to the violent epithets of anti-communists. But we are not concerned with what Darrow said about the speech. We want to know what the prosecution said about it. Therefore, answer choice (4) is correct. The violent part of the speech makes it frightening and the conspiratorial nature of the speech makes it a threat.