Unlike the United States with its generalissimo politicians

Question

Unlike the United States with its generalissimo politicians - Washington, Jackson, Grant, and Eisenhower- the ‘martial arts’ have been conspicuously absent from Canadian politics. The exception to the rule is former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who became the first Canadian leader to bring a gunslinger ethos to Canadian politics. Trudeau introduced Canada to the refined art of single combat; it was the politics of “doing it my way”. Single-combat confrontation implied much more than the renegade in power did, and far less than the tricks of William Lyon Mackenzie King, prime minister intermittently between 1921 and 1948.

Trudeau’s unique background prepared him for the role of authoritarian leader he would assume later in life. Born on October 18, 1919, Trudeau lived in French-speaking Montreal, but heard English at home from his mother, making it easy for the young politician to appeal to all sectors of Canada, a bilingual country. As a young man, he walked and cycled through Europe, finding himself on occasion on the wrong side of the bars in foreign jails. By 1940, Trudeau entered the law faculty at the University of Montreal. As a student he enlisted in the Canadian Officers Training Corps, where he was given a commission as a lieutenant, a rank he held until his retirement in 1947. Trudeau, a renowned sportsman, held a brown belt in karate, knew how to skin dive and could descend 150 feet off a cliff with ease. He continued performing flamboyant physical feats even in later life as Canada’s fifteenth prime minister, astounding Canadians with his prowess. The public’s adoration made it possible for him to practice his personal brand of ‘do it my way’ politics, initiating profound and long-lasting changes to his country.

Other leaders would never have undertaken to deal with such taboo issues as divorce, abortion and homosexuality– matters likely to infuriate conservative Canada from coast to coast. Even the powerful Mackenzie King dared not touch any of the three, though Trudeau tackled them together in an omnibus bill as Minister of Justice under Lester B. Pearson. His reason for loosening legislation on these issues was, as he put poetically put it,  "The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation."  The myths makers have it that this was Trudeau's first deliberate ‘gun slinging’ move, performed with the ultimate goal of attaining national leadership. Contrary to popular belief, Trudeau had no leadership aspirations at the time; all he had was a passion for combat that eclipsed other religious considerations. Trudeau instigated far-reaching changes in legislation governing divorce, abortion and homosexuality that have had a major impact on Canada, shaping the country into what it is today.   1 
 1. The primary focus of the passage is on which of the following?

A. Comparing two Canadian prime ministers and contrasting their personal style of leadership
B. Describing the leadership style of one of Canada’s prime ministers
C. Evaluating the success of the leadership style of one of Canada’s prime ministers
D. Summarizing the contribution of one of Canada’s prime ministers
E. Tracing the long-term impact of legislation put forward by one of Canada’s prime ministers

2 
 2. It can be inferred from the passage that former Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King

A. Was opposed to abortion and put forward legislation making it illegal
B. Was opposed to abortion but did not put forward legislation making it illegal
C. Was in favor of abortion and put forward legislation making it legal
D. Was in favor of abortion but did not put forward legislation making it legal
E. Did not put forward legislation making abortion legal

3 
 3. The author of the passage mentions Trudeau’s accomplishments in sports primarily in order to

A. Explain the source of Trudeau’s physical stamina
B. Illustrate that he had earned the adoration of the Canadian public
C. Contrast it to his personal brand of ‘do it my way’ politics
D. Provide one reason why he was able to single-handedly push through legislation that should normally have shocked conservative Canada
E. Provide one reason why he was able to single-handedly thwart legislation that should normally have shocked conservative Canada

4 
 4. The quotation "The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation," ( Highlighted )is most probably used to

A. Present the opinion that the state should have less of a say in issues that are essentially not public matters
B. Present the opinion that the state should have less of a say in issues that are essentially public matters
C. Present the opinion that the state should have more of a say in issues that are essentially not personal matters
D. Provide an example of Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s flamboyant style that he used to captivate the Canadian public
E. Contrast Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s flamboyant style with that of Lester B. Pearson

GMATNinja · Accepted Answer

Question 3 
 
Question 3 asks us why the author included the info about Trudeau's accomplishments in sports.

Take another look at (B):
 
The piece of the passage that you've quoted tells us that Trudeau's sporting accomplishments  caused  the Canadian public to adore him. In other words, his sporting accomplishments came first and then the adoration followed.

(B) says almost the reverse: that Trudeau's sporting accomplishments  illustrate,  or show, that he had  already  earned the adoration of the public. In other words, he first earned the adoration of the public and then his sporting accomplishments showed this adoration. That really doesn't make any sense -- how could his sporting accomplishments show that the public adored him?

You can eliminate (B) because it flip-flops the timeline and logic of that piece of the passage.

I hope that helps!

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

3. The author of the passage mentions Trudeau’s accomplishments in sports primarily in order to

Difficulty Level:   750

Explanation

Use process of elimination, take a look at answer choice, cross the wrong ones for a reason

A. Explain the  source  of Trudeau’s physical stamina

His accomplishments in sports describes to show his physical stamina and his physic not  source .

B. Illustrate that he had earned the adoration of the Canadian public

Passage didn't suggests that he earn respect or adoration of Canadian public due to his sports or physic rather he was popular due to his  “doing it my way”  type of politics

C. Contrast it to his personal brand of ‘do it my way’ politics

No such contrast is available  ‘do it my way’  was his additional characteristics.

Only D and E are good competitors here

D.  Provide one reason why he was able to single-handedly push through legislation  that should normally have shocked conservative Canada

Correct answer

E.  Provide one reason why he was able to single-handedly   thwart legislation  that should normally have shocked conservative Canada

thwart legislation is opposite and makes E wrong

Answer: D

Hope it helps

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. The quotation "The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation," (Highlighted)is most probably used to

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

First read these lines in the passage:

"His   reason for loosening legislation   on these issues was, as he put poetically put it, "The state has no business in the   bedrooms of the nation  ."

Now take a look at the answer choices, a deep look at underlined and bold text.

A.  Present the opinion that the state should have    less of a say    in issues that are essentially    not public matters    - This is a reason that Prime minister want to say why he loosen the legislation. -  Correct

B.  Present the opinion that the state should have less of a say in issues that are    essentially public matters    -  Incorrect

C.  Present the opinion that the state should    have more of a say    in issues that are essentially    not personal matters    -  Incorrect

D.  Provide an example of Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s flamboyant style that he used to    captivate the Canadian public    - He didnt use any such tactics - Incorrect

E.  Contrast Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s flamboyant style with that of Lester B. Pearson - Completely out of the way -  Incorrect

ANSWER: A

Hope it helps

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

1. The primary focus of the passage is on which of the following?

Difficulty Level:   650

Explanation

This is a global question so a short summary of each paragraph (on paper or in mind - its your choice) almost always helps. Lets have a look at each option.

A.  Comparing two Canadian prime ministers  and contrasting their personal style of leadership

Easy elimination: There is no comparison of two prime ministers.

B.   Describing the leadership style   of one of Canada’s prime ministers

This option looks promising lets keep it for now and keep reading the others.

C.   Evaluating the success of the leadership style   of one of Canada’s prime ministers

This option also looks cool as B lets keep this one too and read the others.

D.  Summarizing the contribution  of one of Canada’s prime ministers

This is not as good as B and C, "Summarizing the contribution" makes it off the way. Eliminate.

E. Tracing the  long-term impact of legislation  put forward by one of Canada’s prime ministers

This option uses faulty information in extreme words. Impact of legislation is off the way and the "long-term" is an extreme word. Eliminate it too.

We have B and C to compare. Although a few successes listed in the passage but these were not the primary purpose of the passage. Always remember that a true information/data could not necessarily be the main point of the passage. It is just a fact not the primary purpose. Success is a very fractional part of the passage So C is out and B is the answer.

Answer: B

Iotaa · Answer

Sajjad1994  ,  GMATNinja

For B, the passage mentions " Trudeau, a renowned sportsman , held a brown belt in karate, knew how to skin dive and could descend 150 feet off a cliff with ease. He continued performing flamboyant physical feats even in later life as Canada’s fifteenth prime minister,  astounding Canadians with his prowess. The public’s adoration made it possible for him to practice his personal brand of ‘do it my way’ politics , initiating profound and long-lasting changes to his country" as one of the possible ways in earning a public adoration which made him practise 'do it my way'.

Option B states the same.

Rickooreo · Answer

GMATNinja   EMPOWERgmatVerbal   EMPOWERgmatRichC   KarishmaB   egmat  and all GMAT Experts

For question 3, can you please help me understand where is the link of sports to push through legislation that should normally have shocked conservative Canada mentioned in the passage? In other words how is option D correct?

Passage mentions,

Other leaders would never have undertaken to deal with such taboo issues as divorce, abortion and homosexuality– matters likely to infuriate conservative Canada from coast to coast. Even the  powerful  Mackenzie King dared not touch any of the three, though Trudeau tackled them together in an omnibus bill as Minister of Justice under Lester B. Pearson.

Nowhere it is mentioned that powerful is measured in terms of accomplishments in sports.

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 3 
 
Question 3 asks why the passage mentions Trudeau's accomplishments in sports. It may help to look towards the end of the second paragraph. After describing many of Trudeau's accomplishments in sports, it says:

And here's (D):

So, according to the passage, Trudeau's accomplishments in sports earned him public adoration that allowed him to initiate "profound and long-lasting changes to his country." The first sentence of the final paragraph describes those changes as things that normally would have shocked conservative Canada. This is exactly what (D) says, so it is the best answer choice.

I hope that helps!

Vatsal7794 · Answer

Hi Team

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Can you please explain me how the answer for question 2 is E and not B

although B and E both seems to be wrong for me

Did not put forward legislation  making abortion legal

I can't find anywhere is the passage that legislation is passed to make abortion legal

Can you please explain

Thanks

avigutman · Answer

You don't need to find anywhere in the passage that legislation is passed,  Vatsal7794 . You need to find somewhere that says Mackenzie King did NOT put forward legislation making abortion legal (as per answer choice (E)). So, here it is:

KarishmaB · Answer

2. It can be inferred from the passage that former Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King

A. Was opposed to abortion and put forward legislation making it illegal
B. Was opposed to abortion but did not put forward legislation making it illegal
C. Was in favor of abortion and put forward legislation making it legal
D. Was in favor of abortion but did not put forward legislation making it legal
E. Did not put forward legislation making abortion legal

This is what is given to us:

Other leaders would never have undertaken to deal with such taboo issues as divorce, abortion and homosexuality– matters likely to infuriate conservative Canada from coast to coast. Even the powerful Mackenzie King dared not touch any of the three, though Trudeau tackled them together in an omnibus bill as Minister of Justice under Lester B. Pearson.

It doesn't tell us what Mackenzie King thought about the three topics. It tells us that he did not address them. That means he did not put forward any legislation regarding them. Then in follows that he did not put forward any legislation making abortion legal.

Hence, we can infer (E) from the passage.

KarishmaB · Answer

3. The author of the passage mentions Trudeau’s accomplishments in sports primarily in order to

A. Explain the source of Trudeau’s physical stamina
B. Illustrate that he had earned the adoration of the Canadian public
C. Contrast it to his personal brand of ‘do it my way’ politics
D. Provide one reason why he was able to single-handedly push through legislation that should normally have shocked conservative Canada
E. Provide one reason why he was able to single-handedly thwart legislation that should normally have shocked conservative Canada

Note that the second paragraph starts with:

Trudeau’s unique background prepared him for the role of authoritarian leader he would assume later in life.

and ends with:

The public’s adoration made it possible for him to practice his personal brand of ‘do it my way’ politics, initiating profound and long-lasting changes to his country.

The rest of the second paragraph describes his background and the reason he was adored. Sports is also mentioned as a part of his background. The adoration made it possible for him to practice the kind of politics he did.

Hence (D) is correct.

The only option which may have been confusing is option (B). But his sports is not an illustration (show) of the adoration of Canadian public. Sports was one of the reasons for the adoration which was the reason for his firebrand politics. 
An illustration of the adoration would be for example, how people flocked to watch when he performed his dare devilry.

gmatophobia · Answer

GMATNinja   KarishmaB

I have an SC-related question about this passage. The passage starts with - " Unlike the United States with its generalissimo politicians - Washington, Jackson, Grant, and Eisenhower- the ‘martial arts’ have been conspicuously absent from Canadian politics ".

Can you let me know what elements are compared in the sentence? I understand that from a meaning standpoint, we are referring to Unlike American politics, Canadian politics lacks 'martial arts' (a particular form of conducting business). However, if I go strictly on the structure of the sentence, aren't we comparing the US (a county), with 'martial arts'? If so, is it logical to do so? Also, can such nuances be tested in SC?

KarishmaB · Answer

We cannot analyse CR and RC from SC's perspective. As long as the intent of the author is clear in the passage, we just have to accept it. 
That one sentence of SC is far more under the scanner than a sentence of RC. They would be a lot more particular about the best way to write that sentence and when they are giving us 5 options to choose from, they expect us to pick the best, even if others are usually acceptable in language. 
Consider the language we experts use on the forum - we, who get all high and mighty about what sounds good and what doesn't in SC questions. Do we always frame our each sentence in the best way possible? Do we follow all SC best practices while explaining you the solution? Absolutely not! We try to not make any mistakes but we can't frame every sentence in the best way possible. We would spend our whole day answering one query then!

singhall · Answer

Can someone please explain the difference in meaning in A and C.
I am not able to make out a difference in these two statements.

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 4 
 
Take another look at both:

In other words, the state should be less involved in non-public (private) matters.

Translation: the state should say more about non-personal matters.

These might feel similar, but they're really pretty different. (A) is saying the state should stay out of private matters. (C) doesn't weigh in on private matters. Rather, it's saying that the state should have even more to say about public matters. (One could, in theory, say more about both public and private matters, right?)

Because (A) directly addresses the issue of the state needing to stay out of private matters, it's the better answer.

I hope that helps!

VerbalBot · Answer

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Unlike the United States with its generalissimo politicians

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Unlike the United States with its generalissimo politicians

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