Between the beginning of World War II and the fall of the Soviet Union

Question

Between the beginning of World War II and the fall of the Soviet Union, United States foreign policy was governed by one overriding principle: the country must defend itself against “any perceived menace” to national security. The Soviet Union was, from the end of World War II until its demise, perceived to be just that menace.

The end of the Cold War, however, along with a belated recognition of the limitations of American resources, has brought about a new scenario. No longer able to rely upon the dictates of one overriding policy, the government suddenly finds itself faced with decisions that require either a subtle reading of American ideals or the reconciliation of seemingly contradictory objectives. For example, in the case of the civil war and apparent genocide in Bosnia, which ideal--non-intervention in national self-determination, or advocacy of human rights--should the United States pursue? To what degree does our support for the authority of the United Nations tie the nation’s hands? In terms of world economics, should the United States support universal free trade, once viewed as an extremely effective weapon against the Soviets, even though the United States, with its weakened economy, may not ably compete on such a playing field? The only certainty is that the future holds difficult and potentially controversial choices for United States policy makers.   1 
 A 
 1. It can be inferred from the passage that United States foreign policy makers considered their pursuit of containment of the Soviet Union justified by

(A) the possible threat posed to the safety of the United States 
(B) evidence of a Soviet weapons build up 
(C) the end of the Cold War and limits of United States resources 
(D) the approval of that policy by the United Nations Security Council 
(E) the Soviet policy of supporting oppressive, undemocratic governments

2 
 C 
 2. The author of the passage is arguing which of the following?

(A) History provides irrefutable evidence that countries must aggressively pursue their self-defense, even if such a pursuit mandates unprincipled behavior.
(B) The United States followed, from its inception, one foreign policy until its failure in Bosnia forced makers to reassess their priorities.
(C) For an extended period, United States foreign policy was guided by more clearly defined objectives than it currently is.
(D) The lesson of World War II mandates that the United States intervene to stop the genocidal war in Bosnia.
(E) The disintegration of the Soviet Union represents the greatest foreign policy success in United States history, and the United State's actions leading up to the Soviet Union's demise provide a possible blueprint for future foreign policy.

AJ0038810 · Answer

Q1 - A 
From the first 2 sentences we can safely infer that the Soviet Union was considered as threat to US.
Q2 - C
Initially US policy was governed by the principle : to defend itself from any threat. Later however, as things became quite the foreign policy makers questioned themselves with regards to the % with which US should intervene. Hence, in later years they didn't have a definite, fixed policy terms.

mehtakaustubh · Answer

1.A
the first paragraph says: United States foreign policy was governed by one overriding principle: the country must defend itself against “any perceived menace” to national security. The Soviet Union was, from the end of World War II until its demise, perceived to be just that menace. 
Soviet Union was perceived tobe menace and US foreign policy was to defend conutry from menace..
2. C
second paragraph first two lines..
The end of the Cold War, however, along with a belated recognition of the limitations of American resources, has brought about a new scenario. No longer able to rely upon the dictates of one overriding policy, the government suddenly finds itself faced with decisions that require either a subtle reading of American ideals or the reconciliation of seemingly contradictory objectives.

Prateek176 · Answer

GMATNinja  ,  MagooshExpert  ,  mikemcgarry  ,  skywalker  . I have problems understanding Q no 2 of this passage. Need help. stuck in between B and C. Can't undertsand why is B wrong and why is C correct??

teja@6091 · Answer

Prateek176  I think B is wrong because of the phrase  "from its inception" ,as per the passage 
Between the beginning of World War II and the fall of the Soviet Union, United States foreign policy was governed by one overriding principle: 
So it is the period begining World War II not from inception

jawele · Answer

,

2. The author of the passage is arguing which of the following?  So what does it ask us to do? I would argue that it asks to find the main idea, while some others may categorise this question as inference type of question.

Here's a relevant part of the text: No longer able to rely upon the dictates of one overriding policy, the government suddenly finds itself faced with decisions that require either a subtle reading of American ideals or the reconciliation of seemingly contradictory objectives. For example, in the case of the civil war and apparent genocide in Bosnia, which ideal--non-intervention in national self-determination, or advocacy of human rights-- should the United States pursue ?

(B) The United States followed, from its inception, one foreign policy until  its failure in Bosnia  forced makers to reassess their priorities.  Have a look at the underlined portion and the relevant portion of the text. According to this statement, the US  participated  in the war in Bosnia. However, the passage merely says that the policy makers have to contemplate whether to intervene (non-intervention in national self-determination) or help to promote human rights (advocacy of human rights). So B's fallacy is that it takes something and declares as true, a stretch, while we aren't actually given such information to justify this answer choice.

(C) For an extended period, United States foreign policy was guided by more clearly defined objectives than it currently is.  This one fits the bill: the passage starts off taking about a one-fits-all policy: if you're our enemy, we gonna protect ourselves from you. But since the SR fall, the US hasn't had an "enemy" and so the above-mentioned policy no longer served to justify any course of action. Thus, the US have to navigate in a different world, choosing various sets of potential consequences.

Between the beginning of World War II and the fall of the Soviet Union

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