For most Americans and Europeans, this should be the best time in all

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 428, Date: 02-Nov-2019
 This post is a part of New Project RC Butler 2019 .  Click here for Details

For most Americans and Europeans, this should be the best time in all of human history to live. Survival — the very purpose of all life — is nearly guaranteed for large parts of the world, especially in the “West.” This should allow people a sense of security and contentment. If life is no longer as Thomas Hobbes famously wrote, “nasty, brutish, and short,” then should it not be pleasant, dignified, and long? To know that tomorrow is nearly guaranteed, along with thousands of additional tomorrows, should be enough to render hundreds of millions of people awe-struck with happiness. And modern humans, especially in the West, have every opportunity to be free, even as they enjoy ever-longer lives. Why is it, then, that so many people feel unhappy and trapped? The answer lies in the constant pressure of trying to meet needs that don’t actually exist.

The term “need” has been used with less and less precision in modern life. Today, many things are described as needs, including fashion items, SUVs, vacations, and other luxuries. People say, “I need a new car,” when their current vehicle continues to function. People with many pairs of shoes may still say they “need” a new pair. Clearly, this careless usage is inaccurate; neither the new car nor the additional shoes are truly “needed.”

What is a need then? The Oxford English Dictionary defines the condition of “need” as “lack of means of subsistence.” This definition points the way toward an understanding of what a need truly is: A need is something required for survival. Therefore, the true needs of life are air, food, water, and, in cold climates, shelter. Taken together, this is the stuff of survival. Because the purpose of life is to survive — or more broadly, to live — then these few modest requirements are all that a modern human truly needs. Other things make life exciting or enjoyable, and these are often referred to as “the purpose of life”— but this is surely an exaggeration. These additional trappings are mere wants and not true needs.   1  
 A 
 1. Which of the following most accurately states the main idea of the passage?

(A) Modern Americans and Europeans feel unhappy and trapped because they don’t distinguish true needs from mere wants.
(B) There are no human needs, and all so-called needs are merely wants.
(C) Human needs can never be satisfied in this life and, therefore, people will always be unhappy.
(D) The satisfaction of human needs has resulted in nearly universal happiness for people in the United States and Europe.
(E) There is no difference between needs and wants; the desire for wealth and power is just as real as the need for food and shelter.

2  
 E 
 2. According to the author, which of the following is an example of a fulfillment of a need?

(A) Adding a roof to block moonlight from shining on a rudimentary sleeping structure built on a tropical island
(B) Creating a pair of slippers from deer hide to protect one’s bare feet from being cut by sharp rocks and stones
(C) Traveling several miles through dense foliage to obtain a particular berry, known for its sweetness and antioxidant properties, to accompany one’s regular bland diet of rice and beans
(D) Climbing a steep rock face for the exhilaration and sense of accomplishment
(E) Digging a hole to locate a new water supply after one’s prior single source of refreshment has run out

3  
 A 
 3. Which of the following best defines the way the first paragraph of the passage is organized?

(A) The author poses a question and provides context and then suggests an answer to the question.
(B) The author presents an argument and develops that argument by referencing a famous quote that reiterates the point that precedes it.
(C) The author presents an argument and then supports that argument by defining an essential term.
(D) The author compares life in one area of the world to life in another area of the world and shows how one way of thinking about life is better than the other.
(E) The author poses a rhetorical question and explains why modern humans are incapable of answering that question.

Source:  GMAT For Dummies 
Difficulty Level:   600

apurv09 · Answer

can someone explain the answer for 3

apurv09 · Answer

in question 3 , option A is given as correct. jow can we say that the author is posing a question at the beginning.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. Which of the following best defines the way the first paragraph of the passage is organized?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

Examine the way the author introduces the point in the  first paragraph  of the passage. The first several sentences explain that modern humans should be happy because their daily survival is virtually guaranteed. The author inserts the Hobbes quote about how rough life used to be to show that modern life has improved considerably. The author then wonders, given how good we have it, why modern humans are unhappy. The paragraph’s ending statement is the author’s answer to this question. Find the answer that best describes this organization.

Choice (D)  and  Choice (E)  are pretty easy to eliminate. The author provides an answer to the question, so modern humans aren’t incapable of answering it, and  Choice (E)  can’t be right. The author references the  “West”  but doesn’t compare western thinking to the way people think about life in other parts of the world.  Choice (D) is wrong.

You may be tempted by  Choice (B).  The first paragraph has a famous quote, but that quote about the nastiness of life doesn’t restate the prior point that people should feel secure and content.

Choice (C)  may also sound good at first, but it describes the organization of the entire passage rather than just the first paragraph. The author doesn’t define a need until the  last paragraph.

Answer: A

Hope it helps

Adityasekar · Answer

All 3 correct in 2:45 including reading time.

Q1)  Main Idea :  Passage talks about why most Americans and Europeans are unhappy. Explain exactly is "needs" ( Needs vs Wants ). 
 Only  choice A  reflects the correct main idea.

(A) Modern Americans and Europeans feel unhappy and trapped because they don’t distinguish true needs from mere wants.

Q2)  Inference based Question :  According to the author, which of the following is an example of a fulfillment of a need?

(A) Adding a roof to block moonlight from shining on a rudimentary sleeping structure built on a tropical island  -- This is want/luxury, not a need 
(B) Creating a pair of slippers from deer hide to protect one’s bare feet from being cut by sharp rocks and stones  -- This is a tempting answer choice but it is still a luxury and not a need 
(C) Traveling several miles through dense foliage to obtain a particular berry, known for its sweetness and antioxidant properties, to accompany one’s regular bland diet of rice and beans  -- This is want/luxury, not a need 
(D) Climbing a steep rock face for the exhilaration and sense of accomplishment  -- This is want/luxury, not a need 
(E) Digging a hole to locate a new water supply after one’s prior single source of refreshment has run out  -- CORRECT ANSWER. Water is needed for survival(need)

3. Which of the following best defines the way the first paragraph of the passage is organized?

(A) The author poses a question and provides context and then suggests an answer to the question.  -- CORRECT ANSWER 
(B) The author presents an argument and develops that argument by referencing a famous quote that reiterates the point that precedes it.  -- No famous quote 
(C) The author presents an argument and then supports that argument by defining an essential term.  -- Author does not present an argument. He is asking a question 
(D) The author compares life in one area of the world to life in another area of the world and shows how one way of thinking about life is better than the other.  -- No comparison of area 
(E) The author poses a rhetorical question and explains why modern humans are incapable of answering that question.  -- He doesn't say people are incapable of answering the question.

jaisonsunny77 · Answer

1. Which of the following most accurately states the main idea of the passage?

(A) Modern Americans and Europeans feel unhappy and trapped because they don’t distinguish true needs from mere wants. - towards the end of the last paragraph, the author asserts that people are not able to distinguish between true needs and mere wants. The rest of the passage is constructed to explore why Modern Americans and Europeans feel unhappy. Hence,  (A) is the right answer choice. 
 
 2. According to the author, which of the following is an example of a fulfillment of a need?

(E) Digging a hole to locate a new water supply after one’s prior single source of refreshment has run out

According to the author, a true need is something that is absolutely necessary for human survival. Only (E) highlights something that is absolutely necessary for survival, which is threatened by the lack of what is described in (E). Hence,  (E) is the right answer choice.  
 
 3. Which of the following best defines the way the first paragraph of the passage is organized?

If you take a look at the last two sentences of the first paragraph, a question is raised and a possible answer is presented. This is what we have in (A)

(A) The author poses a question and provides context and then suggests an answer to the question.

Hence,  (A) is the right answer.

kntombat · Answer

Sajjad1994 , how much time should one ideally take for a passage like this, I got all the answers correct in 4 mins and 57 secs.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

6 minutes for this RC are fine. Good Luck

VerbalBot · Answer

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For most Americans and Europeans, this should be the best time in all

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For most Americans and Europeans, this should be the best time in all

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