In appearance, the Greek gods were supposed to resemble mortals, whom

Question

In appearance, the Greek gods were supposed to resemble mortals, whom, however, they far surpassed in beauty, grandeur, and strength. They were also more commanding in stature, height being considered by the Greeks an attribute of beauty in man or woman. They resembled human beings in their feelings and habits, intermarrying and having children, and requiring daily nourishment to replenish their strength, and refreshing sleep to restore their energies. Their blood, a bright ethereal fluid called Ichor, never engendered disease, and, when shed, had the power of producing new life.

The Greeks believed that the mental qualifications of their gods were of a much higher order than those of men, but nevertheless, they were not considered exempt from human passions, and we frequently behold them actuated by revenge, deceit, and jealousy. They, however, always punish the evil-doer and visit with dire calamities any impious mortal who dares to neglect their worship or despise their rites.

Still, they were not invulnerable, and we often hear of them being wounded, and suffering in consequence such exquisite torture that they have earnestly prayed to be deprived of their privilege of immortality. The gods knew no limitation of time or space, being able to transport themselves to incredible distances with the speed of thought. They possessed the power of rendering themselves invisible at will, and could assume the forms of men or animals as it suited their convenience. They could also transform human beings into trees, stones, or animals either as a punishment for their misdeeds, or as a means of protecting the individual, thus transformed, from impending danger.    1 
 1. From the information in the passage, which of the following could not be the result of the torture inflicted on Gods?

(A) The death of the Gods
(B) The Gods turning the torturer into an animal 
(C) The Gods wishing that they were mortals
(D) The Gods transporting themselves to some other place away from the torturer 
(E) The Gods miraculously healing their wounds

2 
 2. From the passage, each of the following can be inferred about the Greek Gods EXCEPT:

(A) The Gods dwelled on Mount Olympus
(B) The Gods could transform their forms
(C) The Gods were offered human sacrifices
(D) The Gods could punish humans
(E) The Gods came together to celebrate festivals

3 
 3. What is the main purpose of the author in writing the passage?

(A) To explain the lives of humans and Greek Gods 
(B) To describe the lives and trials of Greek Gods 
(C) To underline the differences between humans and Greek Gods 
(D) To praise the Greek Gods for being able to live among humans 
(E) To discuss the history of Greek Gods

4 
 4. The author uses the phrase ‘were supposed to’ in the opening line of paragraph 1 in order to

(A) point out the differences between mortals and Greek Gods 
(B) forewarn the reader that even with huge similarities, the Greek Gods would probably still be different from mortals 
(C) highlight the relationship between mortals and Greek Gods
(D) criticize the belief that Greek Gods deceived mortals by appearing to be similar to them 
(E) accept the fact that Greek Gods failed to resemble the mortals by virtue of the powers they possessed

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. From the passage, each of the following can be inferred about the Greek Gods EXCEPT:

Difficulty Level:   Medium

Explanation

The opening sentence of the last paragraph states that most gods dwelled on Mount Olympus. From this, we cannot conclude that all gods dwelled there. Hence,  (A)  is the correct answer.

(B)  Stated in para 3.

(C)  Stated in the last sentence of the passage.

(D)  Stated in para 3.

(E)  Stated in the last paragraph of the passage.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. From the information in the passage, which of the following could not be the result of the torture inflicted on Gods?

Difficulty Level:   650

Explanation

The gods were immortals so, come what may, they could never die. Hence,  (A)  has to be the correct answer. Remember that in this question the correct answer will be the one that states the opposite of what has been stated in the passage. The options which are out of scope or which have not been discussed in the passage at all will not be correct because we have no way of knowing whether they are true or false.

(B)  This could be a possibility because the Gods definitely had this power.

(C)  This is stated in the passage.

(D)  This could also be a possibility.

(E)  This is not stated in the passage so cannot be the correct answer.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. What is the main purpose of the author in writing the passage?

Explanation

The passage talks of the intermingling of Gods with humans and also discusses the hardships they faced despite their Godliness. There is an attempt to understand the lives they led among the humans and also the price that they had to pay for it. Hence, option  (B)  is the correct answer.

(A)  The scope is too narrow—the passage is not just explaining the lives as mentioned above.

(C)  Same as A. The passage does more than just this.

(D)  Nowhere in the passage is the author using any adulatory words to this effect.

(E)  The passage is more focused on behaviour than on history.

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. The author uses the phrase ‘were supposed to’ in the opening line of paragraph 1 in order to

The first sentence says:

“In appearance, the Greek gods were supposed to resemble mortals, whom, however, they far surpassed in beauty, grandeur, and strength.”

The phrase  “were supposed to”  indicates an expectation or common belief, but then the author immediately contrasts that with ways in which they were not like mortals (more beautiful, stronger, etc.).

So the author is signaling that although there was an expectation of resemblance, the reality was that the gods were superior in many ways.

(A)  This is close, but the phrase itself doesn’t directly point out differences; it sets up an expectation before showing differences.

(B)  Yes, this fits:  “were supposed to”  hints that the initial idea of resemblance is not the full story.

(C)  Too vague;  “relationship”  isn’t the focus here.

(D)  No criticism or deception implied.

(E)  The phrase doesn’t  “accept”  a fact; it introduces an expected resemblance before modifying it.

Answer: B

dhruva09 · Answer

For some reason cannot really understand how trial is justified here, it is a very broad term contextually.

guddo · Answer

3. What is the main purpose of the author in writing the passage?

The passage describes what the Greeks believed about their gods: their appearance, emotions, habits, powers, weaknesses, and relationship to humans. The main purpose is not simply to compare them with humans, but to give a broad description of  what Greek gods were believed to be like .

(A) To explain the lives of humans and Greek Gods

Wrong. The passage mainly discusses Greek gods, not human lives.

(B) To describe the lives and trials of Greek Gods

Correct. The passage describes the gods’ human-like traits, superior powers, passions, punishments, injuries, suffering, immortality, and supernatural abilities. This best captures the passage’s overall purpose.

(C) To underline the differences between humans and Greek Gods

Too narrow. The passage does mention differences, but it also discusses similarities, habits, emotions, and powers.

(D) To praise the Greek Gods for being able to live among humans

Wrong. The passage is descriptive, not praising.

(E) To discuss the history of Greek Gods

Wrong. The passage does not discuss historical development or origins. It describes  their characteristics .

Answer: (B)

In appearance, the Greek gods were supposed to resemble mortals, whom

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

In appearance, the Greek gods were supposed to resemble mortals, whom

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