Reading comprehension Home Exercise- 18 PASSAGE A

Arteries of the heart blocked by plaque can reduce the flow of blood to the heart possibly resulting in heart attack or death. Plaque is actually fat and cholesterol that accumulates on the inside of the arteries. The arteries of the heart are small and can be blocked by such accumulations. There is a medical procedure that creates more space in the blocked artery by inserting and inflating a tiny balloon into the blood vessel. It is called coronary balloon angioplasty. Angioplasty means “blood vessel repair. “When the balloon is inflated, it compresses the plaque against the wall of the artery, creating more space and improving the flow of blood.

 Many doctors choose this technique, because it is less invasive than bypass surgery. Yes, both involve entering the body cavity, but in bypass surgery, the chest must be opened, the ribs must be cut, and the section of diseased artery must be removed and replaced. To replace it, the patient’s body is opened, once again, to acquire a healthy section of artery. Usually, this blood vessel is removed from an artery located in the calf of the leg. This means the patient now has two painful incisions hat must heal at the same time. There is far more risk in such bypass surgery than in angioplasty, which involves threading a thin tube, called a catheter, into the circulatory system and working it to the damaged artery.

Angioplasty may take between 30 minutes to 3 hours to complete. It begins with a distinctive dye that is injected into the bloodstream. A thin catheter is then inserted into the femoral artery of the leg, near the groin. The doctor monitors the path of the dye using x-rays. He moves the tube through the heart and into plaque –filled artery. He inflates the balloon. Creating more space, deflates the balloon, and removes the tube. It is important to note that the plaque has not been removed; it has just been compressed against the sides of the artery. Sometimes, a stent may be implanted a tiny tube of stainless steel that is expandable when necessary. Its function is to keep the artery open.

There is good news and there is bad news. The good news is that the statistics compiled are superb. Ninety percent of all angioplasty procedures are successful. The risk of dying during an operation of this type is less than 2%. The risk of heart attack is also small: 3-5% .Yet heart surgeons do not take any risk lightly; therefore, a team of surgeons stands ready to perform bypass surgery if needed. The length of hospitalization is only three days. The bad news is twofold. First, this procedure treats the condition but does not eradicate the cause. In 20% of the cases, there is a recurrence of plaque. Second, angioplasty is not recommended for all patients. The surgeons must consider the patient’s age physical history, how severe the blockage is, and, finally, the degree of damage to the artery before they make their determination.

1.       When coronary arteries are blocked by plaque, one of the results could be

A.      Stroke

B.      Heart attack

C.      Hospitalization

D.      Femoral artery deterioration

2.       According to the passage, angioplasty is defined as

A.      A tiny balloon

B.      A plaque –laden artery

C.      Blood vessel repair

D.      Bypass surgery

3.       It can be inferred from the passage that invasive most closely means

A.      Entering the body cavity

B.      Causing infection

C.      Resulting in hospitalization

D.      Requiring a specialist’s opinion

4.       The angioplasty procedure begins with

A.      A thin catheter being inserted into the femoral artery

B.      A balloon being inflated in the heart

C.      a special dye being injected into the bloodstream

D.      A healthy artery being removed from the calf.

5.       It can be inferred from the passage that

A.      Healthy artery is removed and awaits possible bypass surgery

B.      Patients have trouble accepting the idea that a tiny balloon will cure the problem

C.      3-5% of the patients refuse to undergo this procedure

D.      Surgeons do not take even a 2% chance of death lightly

6.       Which one of the following statement is true?

A.      The plaque that has caused the problem is not removed during angioplasty.

B.      The risk of drying during an angioplasty procedure is 3-5%

C.      The coronary balloon angioplasty is a separate procedure from inflating a balloon into a blocked artery

D.      All of the above statement are true

Answer:

Reading comprehension Home Exercise- 17 PASSAGE D

China’s rising power is based on its remarkable economic success. Shanghal’s overall economy is currently growing at around 13% per year, thus doubling in size every five or six years. Everywhere there are start-ups, innovations, and young entrepreneurs hungry for profits. In a series of high-level meetings between Chinese and African officials, the advice that the African leaders received from the Chinese was sound, and more practical than they typically get from the World Bank. Chinese officials stress the crucial role of public investments, especially in agriculture and infrastructure, to lay the basis for private sector-led growth. In a hungry and poor rural economy, as China was in the 1970s and as most of Africa is today, a key starting point is to raise farm productivity. Farmers need the benefits of fertilizer, irrigation and high-yield seeds, all of which were a core part of China’s economical takeoff. 

Two other equally critical investments are also needed: roads and electricity, without which there cannot be a modern economy. Farmers might be able to increase their output, but it would not be able to reach the cities, and the cities won’t be able to provide the countryside with inputs. The government has taken pains to ensure that the electricity grids and transportation networks reach every village in China. China is prepared to help Africa in substantial ways in agriculture, roads, power, health and education. And that is not an empty boast. Chinese leaders are prepared to share new high-yield rice varieties, with their African counterparts and, all over Africa, China is financing and construct basic infrastructure.

 This illustrates what is wrong with the World Bank. The World Bank and often forgotten the most basic lessons of development, preferring to lecture the poor and force them to privatize basic infrastructure, which is untenable, rather than to help the poor to invest in infrastructure and other crucial sectors. The Bank’s failure began in the early 1980s when under the ideological sways of then American President and British Prime Minister it tried to get Africa and other poor regions to cut back or close down government investments and services. For 25 years the bank tried to get governments out of agriculture, leaving impoverished peasants to fend for themselves. The result has been a disaster in Africa with farm productivity stagnant for decades. 

The bank also pushed for privatization of national health systems water utilities, and road and power networks and has grossly under financed these critical sectors. This extreme free-marked ideology, also called “structural adjustment”, went against the practical lessons, of development successes in China and the rest or Asia. Practical development strategy recognizes that public investments- in agriculture, health, education and infrastructure- are necessary complements to private investments.

The World Bank has instead wrongly seen such vital public investments as an enemy of private sector development. Whenever the bank’s ideology failed, if has blamed the poor for corruption, mismanagement, or lack of initiative. Instead of focusing its attention on helping the poorest countries to improve their infrastructure, there has been a crusade against corruption. The good news is that African governments are getting the message on how to spur economic growth and are getting crucial help from China and other partners that are less wedded to extreme free- market ideology than the World Bank.

 They have declared their intension to invest in infrastructure, agriculture modernization, public health, and education. It is clear the Bank can regain its relevance only if it becomes practical once again, by returning its focus to financing public investments in priority sectors. If that happens, the Bank can still do justice to the bold vision of a world of shared prosperity that prompted its creation after World War II.

23.   The author’s main objective in writing the passage is to

A.      Make a case for the closure of the world Hank since it promotes US interests over those of other countries.

B.      Illustrate how china can play a more concrete role in Africa.

C.      Criticize the World Bank for playing a crucial role in China’s development but neglecting Africa.

D.      Use China’s success as an example of the changes required in World Bank ideology.

24.   Which of the following cannot be said about structural adjustment?

A.      It is the World Bank’s free market ideology adapted by Asian countries.

B.      Under this strategy public sector investment in priority sectors is discouraged’

C.      As a development strategy it has failed in Africa

D.      With this strategy there has been a lack of adequate investment in critical sectors.

25.   What advice has the author given the World Bank?

A.      Support China’s involvement in developing Africa

B.      Reduce the influence of the US and Britain in its functioning

C.      Adopt a more practical ideology of structural adjustment

D.      Change its ideology to one encouraging both public and private sector investment in basic infrastructure.

Answer:

Reading comprehension Home Exercise- 17 PASSAGE C

The vows one has taken as a priest, including poverty and chastity, are not for everyone. Others have a vocation to be fathers and mothers and thereby provide materially for their families and communities. When the government takes their wealth away and on the other hand, discourages them having children, this vocation is artificially impeded.

We know well that government reduces people’s wealth through taxation and inflation. Thanks to programs like social security, children and the extended family have lost much of their economic value.

Once there was an implied contract between generations. Parents would take care of helpless children who in turn, would take care of the parents when the parents could no longer earn a living. Each would be cared for during the vulnerable years. Today many parents are horrified at the idea of relying on their children, and the children even in times of dire need, often resent having to help parents. Let the government do it.

While many younger adults wash their hands of responsibility for their parents, they also doubt they will receive a dime from social security themselves. They are probably right. Demographics bear them out. By this decade of the new millennium, taxes won’t keep up with benefit demands.

It’s time to stop talking pure economics and introduce a moral element into the debate. For lack of strong moral arguments on the side of the reformers, last year’s efforts at reforming the welfare system broke down. Radical reform requires a strong moral argument to back the economic one. Otherwise, demagogues and egalitarians dominate.

Can we make a moral argument against the current Social system? Of course. Social Security was set up to act as an economic exchange akin to the savings account. The wage earner surrenders some of his income now for security later in life. This is the promise. The cynical breaks it.

Thus, there is a powerful moral argument for privatizing social Security. When the market provides services, people are free to enter and exit the program. The fund’s caretakers have the incentive to deliver a good deal and keep their word. In economic life, the free marked rewards people who live up to their word. People who do not, lose business.

Not so with the government. It relies on a non-voluntary or coerced exchange. There is precious little incentive to keep promises this is why the government can stuff the system with government IOUs while using proceeds to pay current government expenses. It’s not without reason that Social Security has been called a Ponzi scheme.

Workers have no way to opt out of this system, even though they know it is a fraud. The “promise” has ceased to resemble a contract and has become system based on intergenerational plunder, with the loot diminishing over time. We may soon be stuck with either breaking the promise or bankrupting future generations to keep it.

A story from the Bible underscores the moral urgency of reform. In the Parable of the talents, a caretaker who was entrusted with a sum of money returns it to his master. “Here it is back, “the man says. But the master rebuffs him. “Should you not then have put my money in the bank,” the master demands to know, “do that I could have gotten it back with interest?”

Today’s younger people not only won’t get any interest, they may not even get their principal back. Nor will they be able to count on their children to help them in old age. The link between generations has been broken. Unless something is done, we will see more intergenerational fighting and recrimination. Without Social Security, the young would again be reminded of their obligation to repay the debt they owe to their parents. We would plan for our futures rather than rely on coerced obligation and government programs. The generations would begin to rediscover the value of each other.

The morality of the market is that contracts are honest and promises are kept. Governments are bound by no such morality. We need security that lives up to its name.

18.   The author gives a clarion call to

A.      Stop contributing to social security system

B.       Have a moral element in the social security debate

C.      Reject the current social security system

D.      Re-evaluate one’s options.

19.   Which of the followings best describes the author’s attitude towards the current social security system?

A.      Disenchantment

B.      Indifference

C.      Difference

D.      Slight optimism

20.   Which of the following is not a point of difference between the market and the government?

A.      People meeting promises get rewarded by the market.

B.      Voluntary participation and exit from full market services.

C.      Market men would like to deliver decent returns to stay in business.

A.      A only

B.      B   only

C.       C  only

D.      None of these

21.    It can be genuinely inferred from the passage that the term “Ponzi scheme” means

A.      A scheme started by a man named Ponzi

B.      Probably a fraudulent scheme

C.      A scheme run by the government

D.      A scheme full of IOUs

22.   You would like to title the above reading selection as

A.      Social Security: No, Thanks!

B.      Revisiting Social Security

C.      Intergenerational Loot: who will stop it?

D.      Securing Social security

Answer:

Reading comprehension Home Exercise- 17 PASSAGE B

The worst and longest economic crisis in the modern industrial world, the Great Depression in the United States had devastating consequences for American society. At its lowest depth (1932- 33), more than 16 million people were unemployed, more than 5,000 banks had closed, and over 85,000 businesses had failed. Millions of Americans lost their jobs, their savings and ever their homes. The homeless built shacks for temporary shelter- these emerging shantytowns were nicknamed Hoovervilles; a bitter homage to President Herbert Hoover, who refused to give government assistance to the jobless. The effects of the Depression – severe unemployment rates and a sharp drop in the production and sales of goods- could also be felt abroad, where many European nations still struggled to recover from World War I.

Although the stock market crash of 1929 marked the onset of the depression, it was not the cause of it:  Deep, underlying fissures already existed in the economy of the Roaring Twenties. For example, the tariff and war-debt policies after World War I contributed to the instability of the banking system. American banks made loans to European countries following World War I. However, the United States kept high tariffs on goods imported from other nations. These policies worked against one another. Other countries could not sell goods in the United States; they could not make enough money to pay back their loans or to buy American goods.

And while the United States seemed to be enjoying a prosperous period in the 1920s, the wealth was not evenly distributed. Businesses made gains in productivity but only one segment of the population- the wealthy – reaped large profits. Workers received only a small share of the wealth they helped produce. At the same time, Americans spent more than they earned. Advertising encouraged Americans to buy cars, radios, and household appliances instead of saving or purchasing only what they could afford. Easy credit policies allowed consumers to borrow money and accumulate debt. Investors also wildly speculated on the stock market, often borrowing money on credit to buy shares of a company. Stocks increased beyond their worth, but investors were willing to pay inflated prices because they believed stocks would continue to rise. This bubble burst in the fall of 1929, when investors lost confidence that stock prices would keep rising. As investors sold off stocks, the market spiraled downward. The stock market crash affected the economy in the same way that a stressful event can affect the human body, lowering its resistance to infection.

The ensuring depression led to the election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. Roosevelt introduced relief measures that would revive the economy and bring needed relief to Americans suffering the effects of the depression, in his 100 days in office, Roosevelt and Congress passed major legislation that saved banks from closing and regained public confidence. These measures, called the New Deal, included the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which paid farmers to slow their production in order to stabilize food prices; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insured bank deposits if banks failed; and the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulated the stock marker. Although the New Deal offered relief, it did not end the Depression. The economy sagged until the nation entered World War II. However, the New Deal changed the relationship between government and American citizens by expanding the role of the central government in regulating the economy and creating social assistance programs.

11.   The content in the last paragraph of the passage would most likely support which of the following statements?

A.      The new Deal policies were not radical enough in challenging capitalism

B.      The economic policies of the New Deal brought about a complete business recovery

C.      The Agricultural adjustment Act paid farmers to produce surplus crops.

D.      The federal government became more involved in  caring for needy members of society

12.   The author’s main point about the Great Depression is that

A.      Government policies had nothing to do with it.

B.      The government immediately stepped in with assistance for the jobless and homeless

C.      Underlying problems in the economy preceded it.

D.      The new Deal policies introduced by Franklin D. Roosevelt ended it

13.   This passage is best described as

A.      An account of the causes and effects of a major event

B.      A statement supporting the value of federal social policies

C.      A condemnation of outdated beliefs

D.      A polite response to controversial issues

14.    The author cites the emergence of Hoovervilles in paragraph 1 as an example of

A.      Federally sponsored housing programs

B.      The resilience of Americans who lost their jobs, savings and homes

C.      The government’s unwillingness to assist citizens in desperate circumstances.

D.      The effectiveness of the Hoover administration in dealing with the crisis.

15.   The term policies as it is used in paragraph 2, most nearly means

A.      Theories

B.      Practices

C.      Laws

D.      Examples

16.   The passage suggests that the 1920s was a decade that extolled the value of

A.      Thrift

B.      Prudence

C.      Balance

D.      Extravagance

17.   The example of the human body as a metaphor for the economy, which is found at th end of paragraph 3, suggests that

A.      A stressful event like the stock market crash of 1929 probably made a lot of people sick

B.      The crash weakened the economy’s ability to withstand other pressures

C.      The crash was an untreatable disease

D.      A single event caused the collapse of the economy.

Answer:

Reading comprehension Home Exercise- 17 PASSAGE A

We are well into the 21^st century yet half the world’s population live in squatter settlements and work in shadow economies, which generate more than one-third of the developing world’s GDP. Slums are not caused by the poor but by governments denying people the right to own and exchange property. When people own their own property they have incentives to invest time, money and energy to improve it because they know that they will be able to benefit from any such improvements. I.e. the ability to obtain mortgages etc. in short, property rights begets capital, which begets innovation, which begets wealth. Sadly, the poor typically don’t have secure title to their land as there are bureaucratic restrictions on transferring title or there is no clear system for titling. 

Without legal deeds they live in constant fear of being evicted by landlords or municipal officials. Illiteracy is a major reason poor people often choose not to seek the protection of local courts since in so many countries laws established under colonial rule have been translated into local languages. When entrepreneurs do set out to legally register business they are discouraged by red tape and costly fees. In Egypt, starting a bakery takes 500 days, compliance with 315 laws and 27 times the monthly minimum wage. The proprietors of such businesses cannot get loans, enforce contracts or expand a personal network f familiar customers and partners. As a result the poor have no choice but to accept insecurity and instability as a way of life.

In India severe restrictions of free transfer of property in most rural areas inhibit investment and encourage urban flight. Planning policies however discourage building homes for these migrants as numerous homes are destroyed if they do not comply with planning rules, essentially forcing people to live in slums and perversely blaming it on population growth. UN Habitat the UN agency for housing the poor, has implemented more plans to stabilize the unplanned aspects of urban growth but grandiose plans like UN schemes and government housing projects simply ignore or worsen the underlying problems. 

It is when governments grant people legal means to control their assets that they empower them to invest and plan ahead. In Buenos Aires, economists studied the experience of two Argentine communities. One had received legal title to its land in the 1980S and surpassed the other group which had nit, in a range of social indicators including quality of house construction and educations levels. The Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor – a UN- affiliated initiative made up of two dozen leaders- is exploring ideas to extend enforceable legal rights to impoverished members of society and is seeking to bring about a consensus on incentives for national and local leaders. As the growth of illegal settlements amply demonstrates, the poor are not helpless all they need is governments to grant them fundamental human rights of freedom and responsibility.

1.       What did the Argentine study indicate?

A.      Argentina’s economy is booming and the percentage of poor has fallen.

B.      When the government gives people the legal means to control their assets they plan for the future.

C.      The government succeeded in widening the gap between the rich and the poor.

A.      Only (A)

B.      Both (A) & (B)

C.      Only (B)

D.      All (A), (B) & (C)

2.       According to the author, which of the following factors is responsible for the creation of a slum?

A.      Migration of landless labourers to cities

B.      Municipal authorities building low- cost housing  for the poor

C.      Unchecked population growth

D.      Government failure to secure property rights for citizens

3.       The author’s main objective in writing the passage is to

A.      Exhort the UN to play a greater role in rehabilitating slum-dwellers.

B.       Praise government initiatives for migrant slum-dwellers.

C.      Convince governments to empower the poor.

D.      Enlist aid of developed countries to tackle the issue of slums.

4.       What benefit does the author see in providing land ownership rights to the poor?

A.      Steady increase in GDP

B.      Gaining independence from colonial rulers

C.      Municipal services afforded to the poor will improve.

D.      None of these

5.       Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage?

A.      Additional UN projects will exacerbate the plight of slum-dwellers.

B.      Although the government allocates land for them the poor choose not to invest in building houses.

C.      With the spread of slums populations are drifting back to rural areas.

D.      In order to accumulate profit slum- dwellers avoid legally registering their business.

6.       What impact do planning policies have on the development of slums?

A.      They encourage the poor to invest in land thereby perpetuating slums.

B.      They focus on developing rural rather than urban areas so people have to live in slums.

C.      They offer alternative practical suggestions for construction of low-cost housing.

D.      They advocate demolishing homes which violate planning rules, encouraging slums.

7.       What is the objective of the commission on Legal Empowerment of the poor?

A.      Coerce international leaders to implement housing projects

B.      Bring sanctions against countries denying their citizens the right to housing

C.      Selecting experts to recommend ideas to do away with poverty

D.      Establish practical ways for governments to empower the underprivileged

8.       Which of the following difficulties do unregistered businesses face?

A.      Banks do not give loans in the absence of security.

B.      They are unable to earn the loyalty of any customer.

C.      They cannot enforce contracts.

A.      Only (A)

B.      Both (A) & (C)

C.      Both (A) & (B)

D.      Only (B)

9.       What does the growth of illegal settlements indicate?

A.      The government needs to implement more restrictions on property transfer.

B.      Capital earned from underground economies is beneficial to a country’s economy.

C.      The poor are capable of investing resources in their development.

D.      UN housing projects are not properly implemented.

10.   Which of the following prevents the poor from obtaining a business license?

A.      They do not want to make an effort.

B.      Government officials are discourteous.

C.      They lack funds to bribe government officials.

D.      They are intimidated by bureaucratic procedures.

Answer:

Reading Comprehension Home Exercise- 16 PASSAGE E

Since virtually everything that can be said Ernest Hemingway has been said, any further exercise in the analysis of his work really ought to offer some self, justification. However, we can go further, it seems to me. Can also examine that impact of an author’s specific sense of life upon the boundaries of artistic achievement open him. For in my view Hemingway’s work constitutes a particularly graphic demonstration of the consequences, in this case detrimental, of an author’s fundamental view of himself and of existence.

The dominant tone of Hemingway’s work was undoubtedly a sense of the bankruptcy of values, a quasi-nihilistic despair of finding any meaning or value in a “universe of chance”. It reflected in part the widespread disillusionment affecting so many intellectuals after World War I. This disillusionment was perhaps summed up best, however, by the statement of the protagonist of A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry:

“I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious, and sacrifice and the expression in vain…. There were many words that you could not stand to hear and finally only the names of places had dignity. Abstract words such as glory, honour, courage or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the numbers of regiments and the dates.”

The sense of a meaningless, uncaring- if not positively malevolent – universe was likewise conveyed in Frederic’s musings on how he had once burnt a log full of ants and observed, like and unmoved God, their frantic efforts to escape. Man too, we are supposed to think, is ultimately doomed to the same sort of meaningless death as the ants. “You always feel trapped biologically”. Says Frederic to his lover Catherine. And to underline the point Catherine herself dies in an equally gratuitous manner. Another biological accident- the result of childbirth and the fact of her narrow hips. “If people bring so much courage to this world,” reflects Frederic, “the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kill. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure that it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry”.

I termed Hemingway’s sense of life quasi-nihilistic, for there is some vague concept of metaphysical value present. Sometimes values is attributed to the realm of Nature- the wind rippling the corn field appears in almost everything  he wrote as an image of life, of harmony, peace, and permanence. The existence of the peasantry, living in harmony with their surroundings also appears to have some metaphysical value attributed to it. And, of course, there is the famous Hemingway “code”, the ethos of the “Stiff upper lip” as exemplified most notably in the protagonists of the sun Also Rises, those psychically or physically scarred individuals such as Jake Barnes, Bill Gorton, Count Mippipopolous, and Lady Brett. If the world is unmistakably one of meaningless suffering and death, then one can- in the Hemingway worldview – at least maintain in the face of it a certain self- control and detachment. Like the matador’s consummate skill and grace while confronting painful death it is, in Hemingway’s view, this maintenance of dignity and self- control which constitutes the most and the best, men can hope for.

Hemingway and the Hemingway code, manifest one of the worst forms of anttiintellectualism – that of the intellectual. “I was not made to think, “Declared Frederic Henry in A Farewell to Arms, “I was made to eat. My God, yes. Eat and drink and sleep with Catherine,” It was hardly insignificant that Helen Gordon- off To have And Have Hot – in her outburst against her husband, accuses him of having got his “dirty little tricks” out of books, or that she ends with the most abusive them she could think of – “You writer!” it was Hemingway’s anti- intellectualism, his distrust of the very role and responsibilities of the intellectual, that makes his work so fundamentally unsatisfying and which prevented him from creating a truly great art.

Our basic question then must be, how far can nihilism provide an adequate foundation for sustained artistic Endeavour? The answer is surely that it cannot. Nihilism precludes the possibility of organic and interesting development. The Hemingway world is one of mechanical repetition, and in the series of Hemingway’s nine or ten books there is no inward continuity to keep pace with the chronological sequence.

To put it crudely- to have read one Hemingway novel is virtually to have read them all! Hemingway created a distinctive protagonist and taciturn style which embodied his sensibility undeniably well. In this lay an undoubted literary achievement. But it was an extremely limited one. Unable or unwilling to explore the issues with which he was concerned he also failed to develop a broader, more fertile vision of life which alone could lead to sustained literary creativity. He thus said all he had to say, and did very much all he could do, in his first few stories and novels. The rest are repetitive in theme, derivative in style, and all thoroughly superfluous.

Hemingway’s’ work must be judged in my, view as a failure. The failure was undoubtedly an intellectual one. But more fundamental, surely, was the “Question philosophique”. Hemingway’s failure to create truly great art can ultimately be traced to his sense of life. It was a failure of nihilism. For as Nietzsche once observed:

“What does all art do?  Does it not praise? Does it not glorify? Does it not select? Does it not bring things into prominence? In all this it strengthens or weakens certain valuations. Is this only a secondary matter? An accident? Something in which the artist’s instinct has no share? Or is this not rather the very prerequisite which enables the artist to accomplish something?”

22.   Which of the following would the author be most likely to agree with?

A.      Nihilism is conducive towards the perpetuation of artistic evolution.

B.      Nihilism is anti- intellectual in its orientation.

C.      Hemingway’s literary style generates doubts about his literary achievement.

D.      Hemingway’s writings exemplify the causation between a literary work and its progenitor.

23.   As used in the passage, the word “ gratuitous” would most nearly mean

A.      Free

B.      Unnecessary

C.      Cruel

D.      Nihilistic

24.   What, according to the author, is “the very prerequisite which enables the artist to accomplish something”?

A.      The role of art in strengthening and weakening certain valuations

B.      The ability to overcome the failure of Nihilism

C.      Art

D.      The strengthening and weakening of certain valuations

25.   What would be an appropriate title for this passage?

A.      The Hemingway code

B.      The Question Philosophique

C.      Hemingway and the failure of Nihilism

D.      Nihilism in art

26.   Why does the author consider Helen’s calling her husband “you Writer!” abusive?

A.      Because she was in an agitated state when she said it

B.      Because Hemingway created a distinctive protagonist and taciturn style

C.      Because it  reflects Hemingway’s anti-intellectualism

D.      Because he got his “dirty little tricks” out of books

Answer: