But man is not destined to vanish. He can be killed, but he

Question

But man is not destined to vanish. He can be killed, but he cannot be destroyed, because his soul is deathless and his spirit is irrepressible. Therefore, though the situation seems dark in the context of the confrontation between the superpowers, the silver lining is provided by amazing phenomenon that the very nations which have spent incalculable resources and energy for the production of deadly weapons are desperately trying to find out how they might never be used. They threaten each other, intimidate each other and go to the brink, but before the total hour arrives they withdraw from the brink.   1 
 1. The main point from the author's view is that

A. Man's soul and spirit can not be destroyed by superpowers.
B. Man's destiny is not fully clear or visible.
C. Man's soul and spirit are immortal.
D. Man's safety is assured by the delicate balance of power in terms of nuclear weapons.
E. Human society will survive despite the serious threat of total annihilation.

2 
 2. The phrase 'Go to the brink' in the passage means

A. Retreating from extreme danger.
B. Declare war on each other.
C. Advancing to the stage of war but not engaging in it.
D. Negotiate for peace.
E. Commit suicide.

3 
 3. In the author's opinion

A. Huge stockpiles of destructive weapons have so far saved mankind from a catastrophe.
B. Superpowers have at last realized the need for abandoning the production of lethal weapons.
C. Mankind is heading towards complete destruction.
D. Nations in possession of huge stockpiles of lethal weapons are trying hard to avoid actual conflict.
E. There is a Silver lining over the production of deadly weapons.

4 
 4. 'Irrepressible' in the second line means

A. incompatible
B. strong
C. oppressive
D. unrestrainable
E. unspirited

5 
 5. A suitable title for the above passage is

A. Destruction of mankind is in evitable.
B. Man's desire to survive inhibits use of deadly weapons.
C. Mounting cost of modern weapons.
D. Threats and intimidation between super powers.
E. Cowardly retreat by man

anse · Answer

Hi,
 workout  : I need help in Question-3.

Though I answered it correct but for a moment while answering this question I was tempted to mark E. I have observed that in questions like these in other RCs as well I tend to mark the wrong one. What do you suggest I should do in order to avoid this mistake.

My reasoning for E was that Author might say that indeed if all countries produce N-weapons then probably all of them fear each other and hence avoid war. Hence this can be a silver lining.

Thanks.

Nikhil · Answer

anse

For every question, after you answer it, make sure to go through the explanation and see whether you marked it correct for the right reason. For the trap answer choice, see what you've missed out on since there must be atleast one reason an option can be eliminated.

Answers to the questions must be present in the passage. Your thinking about option E is not stated in the passage. Out of scope error.

LauraOrion · Answer

Hey  psahoo  --

Good question! Both of these come down to the same idea: that in the end people aren't actually using the "deadly weapons" on which they've "spent incalculable resources and energy." You can get that all from the word "brink," which means "edge". The people involved are going to the edge of war, but they aren't engaging in it. That's what's wrong with 2B.

For 5A, because they never go to war, you can't say that the destruction of mankind is inevitable because mankind isn't doing the thing that would presumably lead to its destruction (war).

LauraOrion · Answer

Hey  manjot123

The key to any question that asks for a title is that it's a main idea question. In this case, the main idea of the passage is all about the fact that even though countries/mankind spends so many resources to look for ways to kill one another, they are also looking for ways to make sure that these ways of killing are never used and pull themselves back from the brink of destruction.

This best matches (B). They don't want to die, so they don't use the weapons.

Look at the other answers to get there by process of elimination. (A) is out because this runs counter to the first line, which states that "Mankind is not destined to vanish." (C) is out because even though the passage talks about the cost of the weapons, the point is whether or not they are used. (D) is because the purpose of talking about the superpowers is to explain why mankind isn't going to destroy itself. and (E) is out because while the countries do "retreat," this is seen as a good thing rather than a cowardly thing.

Harsh9676 · Answer

Hi  GMATNinja ,  SajjadAhmad ,

I need help with with Q2.

I selected B for this because, the question specifically asked about the phrase 'go to the brink', but the author said that the nations withdraw from the brink when the time actually arrives only later.

I think the question should be like "What is the purpose of the word 'Brink' (instead of Go to the Brink) in the passage?"

Thanks in Advance.

Harsh

bM22 · Answer

Hi  Harsh9676 ,

Let me know if this helps.

The answer to Question 2 is correct, since the phrase: "Go to the brink" in general means on the verge of or at the edge, now this wr.t passage doesn't mean that the war actually happens, it simply means that the nations move towards the possibility of war, the rest is clear from the next lines :"go to the brink, but before the total hour arrives they withdraw from the brink.", making C a better choice than B.

Thanks.

yugam07 · Answer

LauraOrion, What I got this phrase ' soul is deathless and his spirit is irrepressible ', is that man is indestructible, its not a question of, 'nuclear weapon' etc, man is indestructible nevertheless. So going with this thought at the back of my mind, I eliminated every option that gave me a reason for why mankind isn't acting on the weapons they posses. It would really help, if somebody could help me understand where I am going wrong here

AbhishekP220108 · Answer

Hi  yugamjayant  let me try to help, I think you are asking about Q5

But man is not destined to vanish. He can be killed, but he cannot be destroyed, because his soul is deathless and his spirit is irrepressible. Therefore, though the situation seems dark in the context of the confrontation between the superpowers, the silver lining is provided by amazing phenomenon that the very nations which have spent incalculable resources and energy for the production of deadly weapons are desperately trying to find out how they might never be used. They threaten each other, intimidate each other and go to the brink, but before the total hour arrives they withdraw from the brink.

5. A suitable title for the above passage is

We are asked to find the title that justifies the passage-  Passage started with general claim about human, then the authors view point was given and explained by the example

A. Destruction of mankind is inevitable.- Mankind's survival is guaranteed as per passage however A talks mankind is not guaranteed. Opposite 
 B. Man's desire to survive inhibits use of deadly weapons.- "Man's desire to survive" parallels the "deathless soul" and "irrepressible spirit," while "inhibits use of deadly weapons"- this matches with the structure 
 C. Mounting cost of modern weapons.- Cost is not the main point of discussion 
 D. Threats and intimidation between super powers.- Super power are discussed to show the parallels not the main point 
 E. Cowardly retreat by man- Cowardly is too extreme,

So B is apt, hope this helps

guddo · Answer

5. A suitable title for the above passage is

The passage says that although superpowers build deadly weapons and threaten each other, they ultimately pull back before total destruction. The main idea is that man’s will to survive prevents the actual use of these weapons.  The best title must capture this survival instinct , not just the danger of war.

A. Destruction of mankind is inevitable.

Wrong. The passage says the opposite: man is not destined to vanish.

B. Man's desire to survive inhibits use of deadly weapons.

Correct. This captures the central idea. Even though nations create and threaten to use deadly weapons, they avoid using them because of man’s  irrepressible desire to survive .

C. Mounting cost of modern weapons.

Wrong. The cost of weapons is mentioned only as background, not as the main point.

D. Threats and intimidation between super powers.

Wrong. This is part of the situation described, but it misses the hopeful point that they withdraw from the brink.

E. Cowardly retreat by man.

Wrong. The passage does not present withdrawal as cowardice. It presents it as a hopeful sign of survival instinct.

Answer: (B)

But man is not destined to vanish. He can be killed, but he

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

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

But man is not destined to vanish. He can be killed, but he

Prep Toolkit

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