Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave

Question

Aristotle

Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them, whereas they are not only entirely different, but have different origins. Society is a blessing brought forth naturally by our wants, uniting our affections and promoting our happiness. Government is a necessary evil originating from the need to restrain our vices.

Suppose a small number of persons represent the first peopling of any country, or of the world. In this state of natural liberty, a thousand motives will excite them to society: the strength of one is so unequal to his wants, and his mind so unfitted for perpetual solitude, that he is soon obliged to seek assistance and relief from another, who in turn requires the same. Considering the slavish times in which it developed, the form of government known as ―constitutional monarchy‖ is granted to have been a noble creation. When the world was overrun with tyranny, the least remove therefrom was a glorious rescue. However, government, if unchecked, evolves over time to a form so complex that a nation may suffer for years without being able to discover in which part the fault lies; and every political physician will advise a different medicine.

Four or five united in a society would be able to raise a dwelling, but one might labour out the period of life without accomplishing anything. Disease or misfortune could soon reduce an individual to a state in which he could easily perish. As time passes, however, in proportion as they surmount their early difficulties, the people will inevitably relax in their duty and attachment to each other; and this laxity will point out the necessity for each to surrender a part of his property in order to establish some form of government to protect the rest. Here then is the origin of government: the inability of moral virtue to govern the world; here, too, is the design and end of government: freedom and security.

And it unanswerably follows that whatever form of government which appears most likely to ensure the protection which constitutes government‘s essential purpose, with the least expense, is preferable to all others. As the community expands, public concerns will increase and the distance at which the members are separated may render it inconvenient for all to meet on every occasion. Thus the members may consent to leave the legislative part to be managed by a number of chosen representatives, who are supposed to have the same concerns as those who appointed them, and who will act in the same manner as the whole would, if present.

That the interest of every part of the colony may be attended to, the whole may be divided into convenient parts, each part sending its proper number. And so that there be assured a common interest with every part of the community, on which the strength of government depends, prudence will point to the need for frequent elections, thereby assuring that the elected return and mix often with the community.   1 
 1. As evidenced by the arguments posed by the author in each paragraph, the primary purpose of the passage is to:

A. chronicle the development of a particular form of government.
B. advocate a simple form of representative government.
C. contrast society and government.
D. distinguish representative government from constitutional monarchy.
E. criticise all forms of government as an unnecessary burden on people

2 
 2. The author concluded in the passage that the essential purpose of government is protection of property. In doing so the author assumes that:

I. there actually existed a time in which the disparity between an individual‘s needs and wants motivated cooperation, and not transgressions against property.
II. the part of property surrendered to establish some form of government is less than that which would be lost if it were left unprotected.
III. the moral laxity resulting from reduction in hardship results in acts against property, rather than failure to assist those experiencing disease or misfortune.

A. I, II, and III
B. II and III only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only
E. II only

3 
 3. It can be inferred from the passage that its author would most probably respond to the view that the resources of government should be employed to relieve the effects of poverty by stating that:

A. since the strength of an individual must be recognized to, at times, be unequal to his needs, it is natural for government, once it has evolved, to perform such functions.
B. these activities should be performed by individuals or associations outside of government.
C. since poverty is correlated with crime against property, government must perform these functions if non-governmental efforts are not fully effective.
D. this should be decided by the representatives elected by the people as a whole.
E. relieving poverty would be impossible unless efforts were taken to reduce illiteracy

sahilchaudhary · Answer

Please find the OE below:

3) Predict what the author would think about this argument: Since the author believes that government should be kept as simple as possible, and that its only legitimate function is to protect property, he or she wouldn‘t take kindly to adding another function to government. Looking for an answer choice that reflects this turns up (B), which restates the point: government should stick only to protecting property.

(A): Opposite. Though the idea is dressed up in complicated wording lifted from the passage, it‘s misapplied here: the author would think that it‘s not natural for government to take on this duty.
(B): The correct answer
(C): Out of Scope. There‘s nothing in the passage to suggest that the author believes this correlation exists, and so it can‘t be inferred that the author would believe that this is a valid principle.
(D): Opposite. The author does argue that representatives should decide issues, but also believes that this should happen within a limited government that serves only to protect property.
(E): 'Illiteracy‘ is out of scope.

Hope that helps

Cinematiccuisine · Answer

2. The author concluded in the passage that the essential purpose of government is protection of property. In doing so the author assumes that: 
I. there actually existed a time in which the disparity between an individual‘s needs and wants motivated cooperation, and not transgressions against property.
II. the part of property surrendered to establish some form of government is less than that which would be lost if it were left unprotected.
III. the moral laxity resulting from reduction in hardship results in acts against property, rather than failure to assist those experiencing disease or misfortune.

A. I, II, and III
B. II and III only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only
E. II only

THE QUESTION TALKS ABOUT AN OUTCOME:  the essential purpose of government is protection of property.  AND WE NEED TO FIND ASSUMPTIONS THAT SUPPORT THIS OUTCOME. Let's look at each option.
The option I points to para 2 :
In this state of natural liberty,  a thousand motives will excite them to society: the strength of one is so unequal to his wants , and his mind so unfitted for perpetual solitude, that he is soon obliged  u]to seek assistance and relief from another, who in turn requires the same.

rather than understanding entire para, let's look at answer choices and map those with above para.
 Opion I.  there actually existed a time in which the disparity between  an individual‘s needs  and wants   motivated cooperation  , and not transgressions against property.
 How to interpret: 
In simple terms, when we get complete freedom, we want to perform many (good) things for our society. when we have freedom, our mind doesn't seek solitude/loneliness, rather, we want to meet with few other members and seek assistance/ help each other. 
a more practical example -- when you join university for post graduation, you have full freedom to choose your subjects, you have full freedom to innovate and make things better. In such cases, do we opt to just sit alone in library OR in our dorm room? No, right? we make friends, we meet more ppl/faculty members and we try to help each other, we learn from each other, right? that's the same concept explained here.
Option further says -->not transgressions against property --> this means: we don't commit any crime or offence. The para doesn't say anything like this. the para/author says, we seek assistance / help.
SO OPTION I ACTS AS AN ASSUMPTION that supports the conclusion.

Option II. the part of property surrendered to establish some form of government is less than that which would be lost if it were left unprotected. 
 How to interpret: 
Let's look at para 3 -->
As time passes, however, in proportion as they surmount their early difficulties, the people will inevitably relax in their duty and attachment to each other; and  this laxity will point out the necessity for each to surrender a part of his property in order to establish some form of government to protect the rest . Here then is the origin of government: the inability of moral virtue to govern the world; here, too, is the design and end of government: freedom and security.

as  highlighted  above: the thrid para doesn't compare the two option. The para only says that once a person is tired --> he / she prefers giving a part of property so that rest can be protected. The para doesn't compare the action of "giving part of property so that you still own something " VS "not surrendering and leaving the property unprotected".
HENCE OPTION II is NOT THE ASSUMPTION.

Option III. the moral laxity resulting from reduction in hardship results in acts against property, rather than failure to assist those experiencing disease or misfortune.

Let's look at para 3 -->
1) Four or five united in a society would be able to raise a dwelling, but one might labour out the period of life without accomplishing anything. 2) Disease or misfortune could soon reduce an individual to a state in which he could easily perish. 3) As time passes, however, in proportion as they surmount their early difficulties, the people will inevitably relax in their duty and attachment to each other; and this laxity will point out the necessity for each to surrender a part of his property in order to establish some form of government to protect the rest.

How to interpret: 
1) Author says that 4 to 5 members in a society perform a great hardwork (labour) through out entire life but they don't succeed. They don't achieve anything.
2) Sometimes, Due to illness (disease) or due to misfortune, they tend to feel perished (sudden dealth/pain/fall/expire). 
3) Over a period of time, some people surpass these difficulties. but as they grow older, they can't keep up with constant struggle/hardship. So they give up on their duties (relax) and also relations. for more clarity --> imagine our grandparents or great grand parents. During their young age, they worked really hard, but as they grew older, they naturally couldn't continue working. They retired. It's natural that they let their children take care of themselves. In doing so, sometimes, our great grand parents gave away some part of land or any other valueable items/assets to their generation (children etc).

This is exactly given in the Option 3. As ppl grew older, due to moral obligations they preferred giving part of property/assets to others. These members didn't fight to hold on to the property. They shared it with rest so that everyone is protected/benefited. As essentially, this forms the basis for forming a government.
Again, the second part of the option III --> "rather than failure to assist those experiencing disease or misfortune" --> aligns with above point. Notice that how, author uses point 2) given above.

Author says that giving part of land is a moral duty and should not be interpreted as a failure to assist less fortunate.

SO OPTION III ACTS AS AN ASSUMPTION that supports the conclusion.

If we combine all these, answer is  D. I and III only

Cinematiccuisine · Answer

1. As evidenced by the arguments posed by the author in each paragraph, the primary purpose of the passage is to:
 
 A. chronicle the development of a particular form of government.
B. advocate a simple form of representative government.
C. contrast society and government.
D. distinguish representative government from constitutional monarchy.
E. criticise all forms of government as an unnecessary burden on people

Summary of the passage as i read through:

Para 1: Society (S) VS Government (G) <-- how they are formed.
Para 2: How society is formed and then "a need" to form a government are explained.
Para 3: How action of members in a society dictate the roles and responsibilities of "Government".
Para 4: Limitations of Government and formation of small grps
Para 5: Diffrent parties -> send members-> Election -> Government

Overall summary: The author starts with S VS G but explains how S helps in forming a government. More concentration is given on R&R of G. And how representation/election is part of forming G.

Now let's look at each option:
 A. chronicle the development of a particular form of government. 
 My Interpretation:  Yes, Chronicle @ formation of G is given but functions/responsibilities are also given. So this option is partially correct. Hence  INCORRECT OPTION

B. advocate a simple form of representative government. 
 My Interpretation:  Yes, This aligns with my summary. Hence  LET"S HOLD ON  and look at other options

C. contrast society and government. 
 My Interpretation:  The para doesn't contract between S & G. Yes, author starts with a difference between S & G, but then explains how S helps in forming G --> goes beyond and explains key aspects of G. Hence  INCORRECT OPTION

D. distinguish representative government from constitutional monarchy. 
 My Interpretation:  constitutional monarchy (CM) is given only in para 2. All the distinguishing features of CM are not explained. There is no broader comparison throughout the para. Hence  INCORRECT OPTION

E. criticise all forms of government as an unnecessary burden on people 
 My Interpretation:  This doesn't align with our summary. Author is not ciritsizing G in each of the paras. Hence  INCORRECT OPTION

Well, After going through rest of the choices, B seems to be a clear winner. i hope this helps.

Gladiator59 · Answer

Wow. 4 mins 56 secs later: All wrong! Aristotle comes up with the most esoteric passages.

The main point here was :  The simpler the govt the better and the primary objective is "protect property" 
This is hidden so well in one of the passages, almost feels like one is reading old English. :-\

Gladi

Gemmie · Answer

First Paragraph:  The author differentiates between society and government, describing society as a natural and beneficial result of human wants, and government as a necessary evil to restrain vices.

Second Paragraph:  The author uses a hypothetical example to illustrate the natural formation of society and the subsequent necessity of government. The paragraph also critiques the complexity of unchecked government and the historical context of constitutional monarchy.

Third Paragraph:  The author explains how society needs government to protect property and maintain order as people become less dutiful and attached to each other over time. This highlights the purpose of government: freedom and security.

Fourth Paragraph:  The author advocates for a form of government that ensures protection and security with minimal expense, and describes the benefits of representative government as communities grow.

Fifth Paragraph:  The author suggests practical measures for representative government, such as dividing the community into parts for elections and the importance of frequent elections to maintain a common interest with the community.

-----------

1. As evidenced by the arguments posed by the author in each paragraph, the primary purpose of the passage is to:
B. advocate a simple form of representative government.

The passage spends a significant amount of time describing the ideal characteristics of a simple government:

- Minimal expense (mentioned in the third paragraph).
- Protecting individual rights (mentioned in the third paragraph as "freedom and security").
- Representation by elected officials who reflect the will of the people (described in the fourth and fifth paragraphs).

2. The author concluded in the passage that the essential purpose of government is protection of property. In doing so the author assumes that: 
 I. there actually existed a time in which the disparity between an individual‘s needs and wants motivated cooperation, and not transgressions against property.
II. the part of property surrendered to establish some form of government is less than that which would be lost if it were left unprotected.
III. the moral laxity resulting from reduction in hardship results in acts against property, rather than failure to assist those experiencing disease or misfortune. 
 D. I and III only

Statement 1: There actually existed a time in which the disparity between an individual’s needs and wants motivated cooperation, and not transgressions against property. 
The passage starts by distinguishing between society and government. It describes a hypothetical early society where individuals are motivated to cooperate because their strength is unequal to their needs, and they require assistance from others. This cooperation is driven by needs and wants rather than by the desire to transgress against property. Therefore, the passage assumes that there was a time when cooperation was primarily motivated by needs and wants.

Statement II: The part of property surrendered to establish some form of government is less than that which would be lost if it were left unprotected. 
The passage mentions that individuals in a society must surrender part of their property to establish a government to protect the rest. However, it does not explicitly compare the amount of property surrendered to the potential losses without protection. The author implies that government protection is necessary but does not explicitly assume that the surrendered property is quantitatively less than the potential losses.

Statement III: The moral laxity resulting from reduction in hardship results in acts against property, rather than failure to assist those experiencing disease or misfortune. 
 - "The moral laxity resulting from reduction in hardship":  The passage indicates that as early difficulties are overcome, people relax in their duties and attachments.
 - "Results in acts against property, rather than failure to assist those experiencing disease or misfortune":  The passage does not directly state what specific actions this moral laxity leads to. However, it implies that the consequence of this laxity is a need to protect property, suggesting that people might engage in acts that threaten property or fail to respect it.

The author argues that government is necessary to protect property. This protection is required because, without the hardships that initially bound people together, their moral vigilance wanes, potentially leading to acts against property. Therefore, the assumption here is that this moral laxity leads to problems primarily related to property rather than other issues like neglecting those in need (disease or misfortune). If moral laxity primarily led to issues other than property, the passage would need to argue for government intervention for reasons other than property protection.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that its author would most probably respond to the view that the resources of government should be employed to relieve the effects of poverty by stating that:
B. these activities should be performed by individuals or associations outside of government.

- The passage describes society as a natural formation that arises to fulfill the mutual needs and wants of individuals.
- Government, on the other hand, is described as a necessary structure primarily for the protection of property and the restraint of vices.
- Mutual assistance and support are depicted as functions of society, which forms naturally to promote collective well-being.

These points imply that the author views the role of helping others as a societal function, emerging naturally from human cooperation and mutual need, rather than a responsibility of government, which is established for protection and security.

eklavyarjun · Answer

Unfortunately, this RC is not reliable. One simple rule of RC question creation is - you don't tinker with the structure of the original passage. You may remove lines, you may replace words with synonyms but you can't change the structure even one bit because the structure tells the real story.

In this passage, the structure of the original passage has not only been modified, it has been modified to such an extent that this passage tells no coherent story at all. It reads so absurd that I had google it to find the original passage because I doubted any well read writer would write something so ridiculously structured.

And it did not surprise me at all that the original is a very differently structured passage telling a very coherent story. Please remove this passage. It will only break the confidence of test takers unnecessarily.

tarunamiglani · Answer

Revisiting Each Assumption:
I. There actually existed a time in which the disparity between an individual’s needs and wants motivated cooperation, and not transgressions against property. ✅ Assumed
The passage suggests that early people cooperated out of necessity rather than violating each other’s property rights.
It describes how, over time, moral laxity increased, making government necessary to protect property.
This means the author assumes that in the beginning, people were not violating property rights, so this assumption holds.
II. The part of property surrendered to establish some form of government is less than that which would be lost if it were left unprotected. ❌ Not Necessarily Assumed
While the passage does argue that government protects property, it does not explicitly assume that people surrender less than they would lose.
The passage simply states that government is needed because of moral laxity but does not quantify the trade-off between what is surrendered and what is lost.
Since this assumption requires a specific cost-benefit comparison, it’s not fully supported.
III. The moral laxity resulting from reduction in hardship results in acts against property, rather than failure to assist those experiencing disease or misfortune. ✅ Assumed
The passage links moral laxity to the need for government, specifically to protect property.
This means the author assumes that as life became easier, people began violating property rights, not just ignoring those in distress.
Since the passage frames the rise of government around property protection, this assumption is valid.

tarunamiglani · Answer

Answer 3 Description : 
The correct answer is B: These activities should be performed by individuals or associations outside of government.

Why is B Correct?
From the previous question, we know that the passage emphasizes that the main role of government is the protection of property, rather than addressing social issues like poverty. The author assumes that moral laxity results in violations of property, not failure to help the poor.

This suggests that the author does not see poverty alleviation as a government function. Instead, they would likely argue that such tasks should be handled by private individuals or associations rather than government intervention. This aligns with option B, which states that these activities should be done by individuals or groups outside of government.

Why Not the Other Options?
A (Government naturally takes on these functions) → Incorrect because the passage does not suggest that government should evolve to address poverty. Instead, it emphasizes property protection as its key role.

C (Government should step in if crime and poverty are linked) → Incorrect because the passage does not argue for poverty reduction as a function of government, even if it affects crime. It focuses on property protection, not crime prevention via poverty alleviation.

D (Decision should be made by representatives) → Incorrect because the passage does not suggest that relieving poverty is a political decision for representatives. It implies that the government should not be responsible for such functions at all.

E (Poverty alleviation requires literacy efforts) → Incorrect because the passage does not discuss literacy or suggest that education is the solution to poverty.

Final Verdict:
The author believes government exists to protect property, not to alleviate poverty, making B the best choice.

rationedistinctio · Answer

FR, my takeaway from reading all the “hard” RC passages on the GMAT club is that these are from terrible writers. Consequently, the questions and answers themselves often rely on some subjective judgement. Some of the modified passages are also grammatically incorrect or have incorrect sentence structure, likely resulting from the modifications

It’s not a test of ability but a test of pain tolerance for reading terrible writers at this point.

BettyPunkCrockr · Answer

Thanks for this reply! Can you clarify on Question 2?

While the author didn't explicitly compare the consequences of surrendering vs not surrendering part of one's property in order to protect the rest, the author does state that surrendering property to government is a necessity in the highlighted passage. Doesn't the very act of pointing out this necessity imply that ignoring this necessity would lead to even more property loss than if one were to willingly surrender a portion of their property to government? So while the author doesn't explicitly spell out the assumption made in II, doesn't that assumption have to be true in order for him to declare such surrendering of property a necessity?

Bunuel · Answer

The question is not up to GMAT standards. Archiving it. Ignore and move on.

Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards