For most of the past two millennia, western society has had a contract

Question

For most of the past two millennia, western society has had a contract binding together a man and a woman for life. Now the contract is falling apart; men and women still want to enter it. But, in barely 50 years, cohabitation before marriage has become the norm in many countries; 40% of American children are born out of wedlock, and the  assumption  that marriage is for life has vanished. Two-fifths of American first marriages are now likely to end in divorce.

Why marriage, having endured so long, is now in such a mess. In her book,  “A History of the Wife,”  Marilyn Yalom got closest when she pointed out that the old version of marriage, where men supported their wives financially and women in exchange cared for them and their children, has broken down. Meanwhile, the new marital model of equal sharing at home and work has not yet “been fully realized.”

Many women no longer need men to support them and their children financially; in addition, once out in the workplace, women whose marriages are not happy may find new and preferable partners. As that escape route began to open up in the middle of the 20th century, it seemed to promise bliss to those wives whose marriages were torture. So it may be unsurprising that many women head for the divorce courts given the financial and legal freedom to escape from marriage. But it is not clear that divorce makes people happier.    1 
 1. Which of the following is most probably the “assumption”  Highlighted ] the author mentioned in the passage?

A. In the past, marriage was considered a firm social contract.
B. Some 50 years ago, the live-in relationship before marriage was not acceptable for the society
C. Some 50 years ago, living together before marriage was uncommon, and children born only after the marriage
D. In the past, divorce was not such common as it is today
E. In the past, marriage was considered a massive responsibility on both parts the men and the women, which is not the case today

2 
 2. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. 60% of men and women today still want to enter in the contract of marriage
B. In the past, the contract of marriage although considered comparatively strong, did not go on for a very long time.
C. Marilyn Yalom has provided the most accurate answer to why marriage fails today.
D. Most women demand divorce when they face domestic violence
E. Comparative to men, women are happier with divorce

3 
 3. The author has mentioned the new model of marriage has not been fully realized, most probably to

A. stress that men and women did not understand yet how the new model works
B. explain that both man and women are not ready to contribute their part to the success of their marital relationship.
C. point out that working women are not ready to sacrifice their social liberty to save their married life
D. provide one of the reasons why marriages are failing today
E. provide an example of how the concept of marriage has evolved during all these years

4 
 4. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

A. Fifty years ago, men were supposed to meet the majority of the domestic expenses while women worked as housewives.
B. Today, men and women are fairly equal responsible for the all necessities to run a house
C. One of the reasons for failed marriages today could be the financial leave by the men
D. Unhappy working women are more likely to go to court for a divorce
E. Majority of the women with no need of financial help from men opt to end their married life.

5 
 5. The primary purpose of the passage is:

A. to list the reasons for divorces today
B. to explain why marriages are failing today
C. to explain the evolution of the concept of marriage
D. to compare the marriages of fifty years ago with the marriages today
E. to discuss the evolution of marriage and the reason why marriages fail today

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 Passage # 12  |  Date: 07 March 2022 
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vijayram2496 · Answer

1. Which of the following is most probably the “assumption”   the author mentioned in the passage?

A. In the past, marriage was considered a firm social contract.
B. Some 50 years ago, the live-in relationship before marriage was not acceptable for the society
C. Some 50 years ago, living together before marriage was uncommon, and children born only after the marriage
D. In the past, divorce was not such common as it is today
E. In the past, marriage was considered a massive responsibility on both parts the men and the women, which is not the case today

My Answer is  A

Option B mentions that live-in was not acceptable for the society ,but that was not mentioned anywhere .
Option C mentions that children born only after the marriage ,which again was not mentioned.
Assumption in first paragraph does not talk of divorce ,so D out
E is about responsibility that is not mentioned in first paragraph .
So clear answer is A.

2. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. 60% of men and women today still want to enter in the contract of marriage
B. In the past, the contract of marriage, although considered comparatively strong, did not go on for a very long time.
C. Marilyn Yalom has provided the most accurate answer to why marriage fails today.
D. Most women demand divorce when they face domestic violence
E. Comparative to men, women are happier with divorce

My Answer is  C

Option A talks about 60% people entering contract of marriage ,but that is not mentioned .Only 40% of children are born out of wedlock was mentioned.
B is out of syllabus.
C is true and can be derived from first lines of second paragraph.
 Marilyn Yalom got closest when she pointed out that the old version of marriage, 
Most women in option D is not mentioned in passage so wrong.
E is not mentioned in passage

3. The author has mentioned the new model of marriage has not been fully realized, most probably to

A. stress that men and women did not understand yet how the new model works
B. explain that both man and women are not ready to contribute their part in the success of their marital relationship.
C. point out that working women are not ready to sacrifice their social liberty to save their married life
D. provide one of the reasons why marriages are failing today
E. provide an example of how the concept of marriage has evolved during all these years

My Answer is  D

Except E ,all answers were close in this question.
A mentions about  stress that men and women did not understand yet how the new model works  ,but that cannot be assumed or inferred from the context of passage as there was no mention of that idea.
B talks in general and it is little extreme that both man ,woman are not ready to contribute their part but that was not mentioned too.
C is not mentioned particularly because author is mentioning about new model where both man and woman work .So it doesn't deal with women and their issues alone.

4. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

A. Fifty years ago, men were supposed to meet all the domestic expenses while women worked as housewives.
B. Today, men and women are equally responsible for the all necessities to run a house
C. One of the reasons for failed marriages today is the financial leave by the men
D. Unhappy working women are more likely to go to court for a divorce
E. Majority of the women with no need of financial help from men opt to end their married life.

My answer is  E

Option A talks about roles of men and women in marriages 50 years ago ,and this aspect is mentioned in second paragraph.
Option B mentions about author's new model that talks about men ,women taking equal responsibility.
Option C talks about financial leave by men ,but that part is little dubious to me. I assumed this option talks about the financial liberty that men and women share is one of the causes for failed marriage and on that I ruled out C .But it can be best contender.
Option D talks about unhappy working women go for divorce, it is mentioned.
Option E is very generic and extreme ,as it mentions that  financial independence  is itself causing  majority  of women to end their relation. 
I think this is the answer for the reasons above.

5. The primary purpose of the passage is:

A. to list the reasons for divorces today
B. to explain why marriages are failing today
C. to explain the evolution of the concept of marriage
D. to compare the marriages of fifty years ago with the marriages today
E. to discuss the evolution of marriage and the reason why marriages fail today

My Answer is  E

A mentions that primary purpose is to list reasons ,but the primary purpose different .
B is why marriages are failing today, but that is only a part of passage and does not clearly cover the essence of passage.
C is about evolution but that covers only a part.
D is about comparison ,but that is only a part of passage and does not clearly cover the essence of passage.
E is correct as it mentions all parts of context.

ElninoEffect · Answer

1. Which of the following is most probably the “assumption”  Highlighted ] the author mentioned in the passage?

Context is :the assumption that marriage is for life has vanished. 
Followed by: Two-fifths of American first marriages are now likely to end in divorce.

This leads to only one conclusion.

A.  In the past, marriage was considered a firm social contract. 
B. Some 50 years ago, the live-in relationship before marriage was not acceptable for the society
C. Some 50 years ago, living together before marriage was uncommon, and children born only after the marriage
D. In the past, divorce was not such common as it is today
E. In the past, marriage was considered a massive responsibility on both parts the men and the women, which is not the case today

2. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. 60% of men and women today still want to enter in the contract of marriage
We cannot infer that.
B. In the past, the contract of marriage, although considered comparatively strong, did not go on for a very long time.
If anything just the opposite is true.
C.  Marilyn Yalom has provided the most accurate answer to why marriage fails today. 
"In her book, “A History of the Wife,” Marilyn Yalom   got closest   when she pointed out that the old version of marriage, where men supported their wives financially and women in exchange cared for them and their children, has broken down"
D. Most women demand divorce when they face domestic violence
women whose marriages are not happy   may find   new and preferable partners.
There is a possibility not Most.
E. Comparative to men, women are happier with divorce
We cannot infer that.

3. The author has mentioned the new model of marriage has not been fully realized, most probably to

A.stress that men and women did not understand yet how the new model works
B. explain that both man and women are not ready to contribute their part in the success of their marital relationship.
We cannot infer that.
C. point out that working women are not ready to sacrifice their social liberty to save their married life
We cannot infer that.
D.  provide one of the reasons why marriages are failing today 
Although "old version of marriage, where men supported their wives financially and women in exchange cared for them and their children, has broken down. Meanwhile, the new marital model of equal sharing at home and work has not yet “been fully realized.” - Is one complete reason. but still it is better than any other option.
E. provide an example of how the concept of marriage has evolved during all these years
We cannot infer that.

4. All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

All the other points have been discussed.

A. Fifty years ago, men were supposed to meet all the domestic expenses while women worked as housewives.
B. Today, men and women are equally responsible for the all necessities to run a house
C. One of the reasons for failed marriages today is the financial leave by the men
D. Unhappy working women are more likely to go to court for a divorce
E.  Majority of the women with no need of financial help from men opt to end their married life. 
Too strong of a statement.

5. The primary purpose of the passage is:

A. to list the reasons for divorces today
Partially correct.
B. to explain why marriages are failing today
Same as A
C. to explain the evolution of the concept of marriage
Partially correct.
D. to compare the marriages of fifty years ago with the marriages today
Same as A
E.  to discuss the evolution of marriage and the reason why marriages fail today 
Sums up the entire passage.

zhanbo · Answer

An easy passage paired with some tricky questions.  In actual GMAT test, if we fully understand the passage, almost all the questions are rather straightforward. The difficulty of this passage, though, lies in the accompanying questions.

"where" in "where men supported their wives financially and women in exchange cared for them and their children" is considered incorrect in GMAT SC.

Question 1 : My answer is  (A) . 
The appositive clause "the assumption  that marriage is for life " clearly tells us that assumption is "marriage is for life". Now, which of the five options is a paraphrase of the assumption?
(BC) This assumption lasts two millennia, not just 50 years ago.
(D) is attractive. If marriage is for life, it follows that divorce is rather uncommon. Keep for now.
(E) The assumption itself should not contain any judgement for today. So "which is not the case today" renders this option incorrect. BTW, the use of "which" in this option is considered incorrect in GMAT SC.
Between (A) and (D), I ultimately choose (A) because the first sentence talks about a contract binding men and women together. 
I am not really confident about my choice though.

Question 2 : My answer is  (B) . 
(A) "40% of American children are born out of wedlock" does not mean "60% of men and women today still want to enter in the contract of marriage". 
(B) Very vague in the verbiage. Keep for now.
(C) "the most accurate answer"? Too extreme even though author does say "Marilyn Yalom got closest..." 
(D) DV (Domestic violence) is never discussed in the passage. Torture in "whose marriages were torture" does not mean DV.
(E) "It is not clear that divorce makes people happier"
So, I pick (B).

Question 3 : My answer is  (D) .
I chose (D) because the second paragraph summarizes, at super high level, what the book says to explain why marriage is in such a mess.

Question 4 : This is an EXCEPT question! It means 4 of the five can be properly inferred from the passage!
(A) "all the expenses"? Too extreme
(B) "equally" like 50:50 and cannot be "51:49"? Too extreme, unpractical, and indeed untrue. 
(C) What is the meaning of "financial leave"?
(D) "more likely" than whom? happy working women, unhappy nonworking women, (un)happy (non)working men? Not clear at all.
(E) Too extreme and probably untrue. 
But four of the five are supposed to be inferable from the passage. Which one should I choose?
 I chose (E) .

Question 5 : My answer is  (B) . 
The primary purpose of the passage seems to do a book review. 
Note the book title is "A History of the Wife". The book might discuss "the evolution of marriage and the reason why marriages fail today", but the passage is unable to cover such a broad topic. 
(A) I do not see a list.
(B) Very high-level explanation, but likely the case. 
(C) Does not discuss the concept of marriage now. 
(D) Main focus is not to do comparison. 
(E) Note (E) contains (B). But for mere three paragraphs, it cannot adequately discuss both the evolution and the reason.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Competition mode is off now.

OAs are:

ACDEE

Well done  vijayram2496  (88/100)

zhanbo  (60/100)

ElninoEffect  (36/100)

zhanbo  you are probably diving in too deep.

Let me know if anyone has any question.

Good luck for the upcoming questions

100mitra · Answer

Words:   245
  Read Time:   3 mins 30 sec 
  Passage Structure:   evolution and reason of failure
  Paraphrasing:  
 Para 1:  New generation adaptation of cohabitation and child birth before marriage, and marriages likely to end in divorce.
 Para 2:  The new marital model of equal sharing at home and work has not yet “been fully realized.”
 Para 3:  To gain more control as in independent life, and to escape away from torture marriages, women began to option in for the divorce

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1. Which of the following is most probably the  “assumption”  the author mentioned in the passage?

As mentioned in the passage,
 Statement1: ”  For most of the past two millennia, western society has had a contract binding together a man and a woman for life ” 
  – marriages were considered bond between man and women for life  
 Statement 2:  “ But, in barely 50 years, 
cohabitation before marriage has become the norm in many countries; 
40% of American children are born out of wedlock, and 
the assumption that marriage is for life has vanished ” 
  – as per statistics, marriages are not lasting as it was supposed to be, 
hence Author points out assumption in the given statement

Correct Option: A. In the past, marriage was considered a firm social contract.

Eliminate rest all, Out of Scope, no inference can be made, limitation in information provided in the passage 
B. Some 50 years ago, the live-in relationship before marriage was  not acceptable for the society 
C.  Some 50 years ago , living together before marriage was uncommon, and children born only after the marriage
D.  In the past,  divorce was  not such common as it is today 
E.  In the past,  marriage was considered a massive responsibility on both parts the men and the women,  which is not the case today

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2. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

As mentioned in the passage, “ Marilyn Yalom got closest when she pointed out that 
 the old version of marriage , where men supported their wives financially and women in exchange cared for them and their children, has broken down. 
Meanwhile,  the new marital model  of equal sharing at home and work has not yet been fully realized .”

Correct Option: C. Marilyn Yalom has provided the most accurate answer to why marriage fails today.

Eliminate A, and B – Out of scope, information not available in passage, to come to conclusion. 
A.  60% of  men and women today  still want to enter  in the contract of marriage
B.  In the past,  the contract of marriage, although considered comparatively strong,  did not go on for a very long time .
D. Most women demand divorce when they  face domestic violence 
E. Comparative to men, women are happier with divorce “ But it is not clear that divorce makes people happier .”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. The author has mentioned the new model of marriage has not been fully realized, most probably to

Eliminate, A, B and C – as here, below options are one of the reasons to end marriage life 
A.  stress that men and women  did not understand yet how the new model works
B. explain that both man and women are  not ready to contribute their part in the success of their marital relationship 
C. point out that working women are  not ready to sacrifice their social liberty to save their married life 
E. provide an example of how the concept of marriage has evolved during all these years 
  – Wrong,   passage does not provide example, it compares the new one with the old one.

Correct option: D. provide one of the reasons why marriages are failing today

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4. All of the following can be inferred from the passage  EXCEPT

A. Fifty years ago, men were supposed to meet all the domestic expenses while women worked as housewives  (mentioned)  
- "Old version of marriage, where  men supported their wives financially and women in exchange cared for them and their children "

B. Today, men and women are equally responsible for the all necessities to run a house  (mentioned) 
the new marital model of  equal sharing at home and work  has not yet been fully realized.

D. Unhappy working women are more likely to go to court for a divorce  (mentioned) 
As that escape route began to open-up in the middle of the 20th century, 
it seemed to promise  bliss to those wives whose marriages were torture .
many women head for the divorce courts 
 given the financial and legal freedom to escape from marriage

C. One of the reasons for failed marriages today is the financial leave by the men  (mentioned) 
Old version of marriage, where men supported their wives financially and women in exchange cared for them and their children
 has broken down

Correct Option E. Majority of the women with no need of financial help from men opt to end their married life     (not mentioned)  
It seemed to promise  bliss to those wives  whose marriages were torture  
many women head for the divorce courts 
  given the  financial and legal freedom to escape from marriage

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. The primary purpose of the passage is:

A. to list the reasons for divorces today  (no list mentioned in the passage) 
B. to explain why marriages are failing today  (passage does explain – evolution of marriages too) 
C. to explain the evolution of the concept of marriage  (passage does explain – reason of marriage failure too) 
D. to compare the marriages of fifty years ago with the marriages today  (passage does not compare, but explains the reasons of marriage failure) 
  E. to discuss the evolution of marriage and the reason why marriages fail today – correct

ksan · Answer

Could someone explain why question 5 is E and not B? From my understanding the primary purpose of the passage is to explain why marriages are failing today and the author only discusses the evolution of marriage to help support the explanation on why marriages are failing.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explained here https://gmatclub.com/forum/for-most-of- ... l#p2978030

For most of the past two millennia, western society has had a contract

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

For most of the past two millennia, western society has had a contract

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