To understand the origins of the word ‘classic’, we need to return to the ancient Greeks, who by peculiar good fortune and natural enlightenment of mind, had no classics but themselves. They were at first the only classical authors for the Romans, coming just after, who strove and contrived to imitate them.
Which of the following if true would strengthen the argument of this passage?
A :
At first the only true classics were the ancient Greeks.
B :
The Greeks were in a class by themselves.
C :
The Greeks were revered by the Romans who had a love of Greek art.
D :
The Greeks and Romans together laid foundations for classical art.
Answer: A B and C are suggested by the passage, but do not serve to increase/strengthen the argument of this passage, which is that the origins of the classic temperament will lead us to understand its present. D is incorrect since there is no mention of contemporaneous work. A qualifies the passage by adding to it that to understand the origins of classicism, we must study the first and only true classics – the Greeks
Q. No. 8:
Self-consciousness exists in itself and for itself, in that, and by the fact that it exists for another self-consciousness; that is to say, it ‘is’ only by being acknowledged or “recognised.”
This statement is equivalent to:
A :
Tobacco companies spend increasingly on point-of-purchase merchandise since the consumer is most vulnerable at the moment of choice.
B :
Offices increasingly have reflective glass in their lobbies since anti-social behaviour is reduced when people are continually aware of how they appear.
C :
Video cameras are installed in most shopping malls in order for the store to monitor the goings-on not just among customers but also among staff.
D :
To become a hit playback singer it is necessary to be recognised as the number one in a particular genre of music.
Answer: B The emphasis in the passage is on how a certain factor, that is in itself self conscious, only gains existence through recognition. A relates to a business acumen using psychological insights, C is a simple act of monitoring. With Drecognition may make one something, i.e., a playback singer. But with B selfconsciousness and self-awareness are also brought in as factors to bring out more social behaviour in a lobby which would not have gained existence if it weren’t for the reflective mirrors. This statement achieves equivalence with the passage.
Q. No. 9:
A true classic, as I should like to hear it defined, is an author who has enriched the human mind, who has spoken to all in his own peculiar style, a style which is found to be also that of the whole world, a style new without neologism, new and old, easily contemporary with all time.
We can infer that:
A :
A classic, according to the usual definition, is an old author canonised by admiration, and an authority in his particular style.
B :
A classic may for a moment have been revolutionary; it may at least have seemed so, but it is simply a subversion of whatever prevented the restoration of the balance of order and beauty.
C :
A classic refers to those who have become models in any language whatever, have established the expressions, models, fixed rules for composition and style, strict rules of art to which men must conform.
D :
A classical author is one who has discovered some moral and not equivocal truth, or revealed some eternal passion or desire.
Answer: B A cannot be inferred from the passage which makes no mention of the author being ‘old’; C relates to rules more than quality; D relates more to the revelatory aspect of a classic, which is not deducible from the passage. But it can be inferred that a classic which is both old and new, may initially strike one as revolutionary, but is really a deep rooted revelation of order and beauty.
Q. No. 10:
In the historical society divided into classes, culture is the general sphere of knowledge and of representations of the lived; which is to say that culture is the power of generalisation existing apart, as division of intellectual labour and as intellectual labour of division.
Answer: A B is not implied, rather culture stemming from representation is unlikely to be ‘natural’, nor can C be correct on the basis of this, since culture is a sphere of knowledge and representation. In D, culture’s role in historicising society is not elaborated upon enough to draw this conclusion. But since culture by the definition in [A is largely a fabricated means of control based on representations, with the end result that it would be an “intellectual labour of division”.
Q. No. 11:
But because the idea of private property has been permitted to override with its selfishness the common good of humanity, it does not follow that there are no limits within which that idea can function for the general convenience and advantage.
Which of the following is most likely to weaken the argument?
A :
All the people of the society should progress at an equitable rate and there should be no disparities and private property does bring about a tremendous disparity.
B :
One should not strive for the common good of humanity at all, instead one should be concerned with maximizing one‘s own wealth.
C :
One should learn from the experiences of former communists nations and should not repeat their mistakes at all.
D :
Even prosperous capitalist countries like the USA have their share of social problems.
Answer: A The statement says that if practiced within limits, the idea of private property can function to the good of most people. Statements B and C are frontal attacks on communism, which are not warranted by the paragraph. D can be a likely answer but A is a more general statement and hence is the correct answer.
Q. No. 12:
The writer can only be fertile if he renews himself and he can only renew himself if his soul is constantly enriched by fresh experience.
Which of the following is most likely to support the above thought?
A :
Only out of fresh experience can the writer get germs for new writing.