Democratic institutions are devices for reconciling social order wit

Question

Democratic institutions are devices for reconciling social order with individual freedom and initiative, and for making the immediate power of a country's rulers subject to the ultimate power of the ruled. The fact that, in Western Europe and America, these devices have worked, all things considered, not too bad is proof enough that the eighteenth-century optimists were not entirely wrong. Given a fair chance, I repeat; for the fair chance is an indispensable prerequisite. No people that pass abruptly from a state of subservience under the rule of a despot to the completely unfamiliar state of political independence can be said to have a fair chance of being able to govern themselves democratically. Liberalism flourishes in an atmosphere of prosperity and declines as declining prosperity make it necessary for the government to intervene ever more frequently and drastically in the affairs of its subjects. Over-population and over-organization are two conditions which ... deprive a society of a fair chance of making democratic institutions work effectively. We see, then, that there are certain historical, economic, demographic, and technological conditions that make it very hard for Jefferson's rational animals, endowed by nature with inalienable rights and an innate sense of justice, to exercise their reason, claim their rights and act justly within a democratically organized society. We in the West have been supremely fortunate in having been given a fair chance of making the great experiment in self-government. Unfortunately, it now looks as though, owing to recent changes in our circumstances, this  infinitely precious fair chance  were being, little by little, taken 30 away from us.    1 
 1. The author’s primary purpose is apparently to

A. Explain a requirement and introduce a warning about that requirement 
B. Argue for the limitation of a certain form of government 
C. Define the conditions for social order 
D. Advocate liberalism in government of a certain era 
E. Credit certain thinkers with foresight

2 
 2. The ‘infinitely precious fair chance’  highlighted  in the last sentence, according to the author is

A. Unlikely to emerge in an atmosphere of liberalism 
B. Incompatible with Jefferson’s views 
C. Vitiated in an atmosphere of prosperity 
D. An essential precondition for the success of democracy 
E. Only possible in a large, advanced and highly organized society

3 
 3. The author’s attitude to the way democratic institutions have functioned in Western Europe and America can best be described as

A. Deliberate neutrality 
B. Cautious approval 
C. Qualified disapproval 
D. Wholehearted endorsement 
E. Mocking disdain

GMAT VERBAL Daily Challenge RC/CR/SC (2022) Project

Solenja · Answer

any expert please explain the first question.
Thank you.

UMANGSURANA · Answer

1. The author’s primary purpose is apparently to

A. Explain a requirement and introduce a warning about that requirement : Correct. Author has introduced 'fair chance' and primarily explained that throughout the passage.
B. Argue for the limitation of a certain form of government : Author is arguing that 'fair chance is a pre-requisite for the success of a democracy'. this option is not relevant.
C. Define the conditions for social order : incorrect.
D. Advocate liberalism in government of a certain era : Incorrect. Author is advocating fair chance
E. Credit certain thinkers with foresight : Incorrect. out of scope.

2. The ‘infinitely precious fair chance’ highlighted in the last sentence, according to the author is

A. Unlikely to emerge in an atmosphere of liberalism
B. Incompatible with Jefferson’s views
C. Vitiated in an atmosphere of prosperity
D. An essential precondition for the success of democracy : Correct. Explicitly mentioned in the passage.
E. Only possible in a large, advanced and highly organized society

3. The author’s attitude to the way democratic institutions have functioned in Western Europe and America can best be described as

A. Deliberate neutrality
B. Cautious approval : Correct. The author acknowledges that democratic institutions did work in Western Europe and America but stresses on the importance of 'fair chance' at the same time, saying that fair chance is very important for the successful functioning of these devices.
C. Qualified disapproval
D. Wholehearted endorsement
E. Mocking disdain

Payal0898 · Answer

please explain question 1, i got "d" as a answer .

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The author’s primary purpose is apparently to

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

Main idea

There are some conditions required for an independent rule from despots, even if their people attain such freedom, they will not be able to maintain the social order

A. Explain a requirement and introduce a warning about that requirement
 Close to the main idea that is discussed above.

B. Argue for the limitation of a certain form of government
 This is close but didn't cover up the main idea.

C. Define the conditions for social order
 This is not the main idea. This is very specific and narrow.

D. Advocate liberalism in government of a certain era
 The author is not advocating anything here, he just describes self-rule vs rule by official

E. Credit certain thinkers with foresight
 Out of scope.

Answer: A

sk5499461 · Answer

In the Q1. Isn't introducing warning a very extreme emphasis ? Any soft replacement would be more approprite

reiciendissint12 · Answer

in the 3rd question , there should be no caution as it is not talking about present or future but how it had been in the past

WiziusCareers1 · Answer

1. The author’s primary purpose is apparently to

To determine the author's primary purpose, we look at the main points of the entire passage:

Paragraph 1 (The Requirement):  The author begins by defining democratic institutions and immediately notes that their success in the West is proof the optimists were right, GIVEN A FAIR CHANCE. The author then details what makes a  "fair chance"  indispensable and what prevents it (e.g., abrupt transition, declining prosperity, over-population). This part of the passage is focused on explaining the prerequisite/requirement ("fair chance") for successful democracy.

Paragraph 2 (The Warning):  The author concludes by saying, "We in the West have been supremely fortunate in having been given a fair chance... Unfortunately, it now looks as though, owing to recent changes in our circumstances, this infinitely precious fair chance were being, little by little, taken away from us." This is the warning about the requirement—that the necessary condition for democracy (the fair chance) is now threatened.

Let's evaluate the choices:

A. Explain a requirement and introduce a warning about that requirement: This  perfectly captures the two-part structure of the passage : defining the "fair chance" (requirement) and concluding with the idea that it is "being, little by little, taken away" (warning). (Correct)

B. Argue for the limitation of a certain form of government: The author is arguing for the limitations on the conditions under which democracy can succeed, not for limiting democracy itself.

C. Define the conditions for social order: The focus is on the conditions  for successful democracy, not social order  in general.

D. Advocate liberalism in government of a certain era: Liberalism is mentioned, but the main focus is the necessary conditions for democracy, not merely advocating for one political ideology.

E. Credit certain thinkers with foresight: This is a minor point mentioned only to note the optimists "were not entirely wrong."

2. The ‘infinitely precious fair chance’ highlighted in the last sentence, according to the author is 
We need to trace where the author defines this "fair chance" in the passage.

The author states, "Given a fair chance, I repeat; for the fair chance is an indispensable prerequisite."

This "fair chance" is what allows "Jefferson's rational animals... to exercise their reason, claim their rights and act justly within a democratically organized society."

Let's evaluate the choices:

A. Unlikely to emerge in an atmosphere of liberalism: The author says liberalism flourishes in prosperity, which is a key part of the fair chance. This is the  opposite of what the passage implies.

B. Incompatible with Jefferson’s views: The  author uses Jefferson's views to describe the type of people who need the fair chance , implying compatibility.

C. Vitiated in an atmosphere of prosperity: The author says liberalism flourishes in prosperity and declines as prosperity declines.  Prosperity is an enabler,  not a threat, to the fair chance.

D. An essential precondition for the success of democracy: The author calls the fair chance an "indispensable prerequisite" for making democratic institutions work effectively.  Prerequisite is synonymous with precondition.  (Correct)

E. Only possible in a large, advanced and highly organized society: The author lists over-population and over-organization as  conditions that deprive  a society of the fair chance.

3. The author’s attitude to the way democratic institutions have functioned in Western Europe and America can best be described as
We look for the author's direct evaluation of the past performance of democracy in the West:

The author states: "The fact that, in Western Europe and America, these devices have worked, all things considered, not too bad is proof enough..."

Let's analyze the phrasing "not too bad":

"Not too bad" is a mild positive assessment. It is not wholehearted endorsement (D), nor is it qualified disapproval (C). It is positive but reserved.

"All things considered" is a major qualification or restraint on that approval.

Therefore,  the attitude is positive  ("worked... not too bad")  but measured and restrained  ("all things considered," "cautious").

A. Deliberate neutrality: "Not too bad" is clearly positive, not neutral.

B. Cautious approval: Approval is conveyed by "worked... not too bad," and cautious is conveyed by the qualification "all things considered."

C. Qualified disapproval: The evaluation is positive, not disapproval.

D. Wholehearted endorsement: "Not too bad" is too weak a phrase to qualify as "wholehearted endorsement."

E. Mocking disdain: The tone is serious and analytical, not disdainful.

Democratic institutions are devices for reconciling social order wit

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Democratic institutions are devices for reconciling social order wit

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