Metaphysics, or the attempt to conceive the world as a whole by me

Q1) According to the information in the passage, which of the following can be concluded about Plato?
A. For Plato, both the scientific and the mystical impulses were equally important
B. Plato and Heraclitus had opposing philosophies
C. Plato relied on the mystical impulse when in doubt
D. Plato did not believe in the concept of universal flux
E. When in conflict, Plato used his knowledge of both the mystical and the scientific impulses to resolve the same
The last line of the passage states that the mystical impulse was the stronger impulse in Plato and whenever Plato was in conflict or doubt, the mystical impulse won. (C) states this best and is the correct answer.
A - Opposite. The passage clearly states that in Plato the mystical impulse was stronger
B - Out of Scope. The passage never states this. In fact the author provides the example of these two philosophers to show a point of similarity – their near perfect blending of the scientific and mystical impulses
D - Out of Scope. Just because Heraclitus believed in this does not mean that Plato did not
E - Opposite as explained above in A

Q2) What is the overall purpose of the passage?
A. To assert that the greatest philosophers are those who have achieved the perfect blend of the mystical and scientific impulses
B. To discuss the history of metaphysics
C. To explain why philosophy is superior to science or religion
D. To provide examples of philosophers who have achieved greatness either through only mystic or scientific impulses or through an amalgam of both
E. To praise philosophers who have achieved a perfect blend of science and mysticism
The passage primarily talks about the combination of science and mysticism as the ideal combination that makes philosophy superior to science or religion. It then goes on to provide examples of two philosophers who have managed to achieve a near-perfect blend
of these two impulses. (A) follows best from this as the correct answer.
B - Apart from the opening lines, the passage does not really even discuss metaphysics as such
C - While this fact is mentioned in the passage, this is too specific to be the main purpose
D - The main purpose of the passage is more than to just provide examples.
E - While the passage does mention two such philosophers, the entire passage was not written to just praise them but to highlight the underlying theme of their achievement - the amalgam of science and mysticism

Q3) Each of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT:
A. Blake and Hume were both inclined more towards mysticism than towards science
B. Metaphysics comprises the interplay of the scientific and the mystical impulses
C. There is no real literary proof of how Heraclitus arrived at his opinions
D. Plato and Heraclitus were similar in some aspects
E. Heraclitus was most likely inclined towards the scientific impulse
The first para states that it was just Blake who was inclined towards mysticism; Hume was in fact a supporter of the scientific impulse. Hence we cannot infer (A), the correct answer.
B - Can be inferred from the opening lines of the passage
C - The 2nd para clearly states that this belief is actually based on ‗sayings‘
D - The author wrote the 2nd para to highlight this similarity - both of them achieved a perfect blend of science and mysticism
E - Can be inferred from the 2nd para