Various tales in Herodotuss The Histories display a circular means of

Question

Various tales in Herodotus’s  The Histories  display a circular means of the realization of fate. In one story involving the birth of Cyrus and his rise to power in Asia, Herodotus tells us that the Median king Astyages was having disturbing dreams about his daughter Mandane.

We are told that his first dream, in which Mandane’s urine flooded all of Asia, was interpreted ominously by the Magi. As a consequence, when the time came to marry Mandane off, Astyages made what turned out to be a fatal mistake. While there were plenty of wealthy and powerful Medes eligible for marriage, “his fear of the dream made him refuse to marry her to any of them; instead, he gave her to a Persian called Cambyses, whom he found to be of noble lineage and peaceful behavior, although he regarded him as the social inferior by far of a Mede of the middle rank.” Essentially, Astyages altered what would be a normal treatment of the marriage in order to marry his daughter to someone less threatening. This attempt to avoid the prophesy of the first dream backfired however, and when Mandane became pregnant, Astyages had another foreboding dream. This second dream was interpreted to mean that Mandane’s son would rule in Astyages’s place. Herodotus tells us that “  was what Astyages was guarding against” when he again took action, telling his advisor Harpagus to kill the baby. This plan backfired as well since Harpagus refused to kill the baby, leading to a complicated chain of events whereby the child later to be named Cyrus—survived and returned to conquer his grandfather’s kingdom. In this story, Astyages’s downfall is depicted as resulting directly from two major mistakes—marrying Mandane to Cambyses and telling Harpagus to kill their offspring. These mistakes in turn are shown to be motivated by fear of the prophesies of his downfall. Had not some divine force planted the dreams in his head, he would not have taken the steps necessary to fulfill those prophesies. Through this circular path, destiny is unavoidably realized.    1 
 1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about Astyages’s view of the Median socio-political structure?

I. As a result of his first dream, Astyages believed the threat his daughter posed to him could be through her husband.
II. Astyages believed that it is always best to observe the recommendations of the Magi.
III. Astyages believed that a Persian noble was less of a threat to his position than a Median noble.

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

2 
 2. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly undermine the claim that Astyages’s downfall proceeded from two major mistakes?

(A) Mandane’s son would have conquered his grandfather’s kingdom regardless of who his father was.
(B) Astyages’s first dream was in fact a warning against allowing his daughter to marry.
(C) Harpagus would not have killed the baby regardless of whether he knew the prophesy.
(D) Mandane’s husband would have deposed Astyages if he had known why his son was killed.
(E) Astyages’s dreams were better interpreted as advising him not to do anything out of the ordinary.

Manhattan GRE 5lb.

leyermo1234 · Answer

Main point of the passage:  The passage discusses the story of Astyages, who tries to avert the prophecy of his downfall by altering the course of events through his decisions regarding his daughter Mandane and her offspring Cyrus. However, his actions ultimately lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Tone of the author:  The author presents the story of Astyages with a neutral tone , recounting the events and decisions made by the characters without explicit judgment or bias.

Now, let's address the questions:

1.  Inference about Astyages’s view of the Median socio-political structure:
The passage suggests that Astyages believed that his daughter's husband could pose a threat to his position, as evidenced by his decision to marry her to a Persian noble rather than a Median noble. Thus, statement I is supported by the passage. Additionally, Astyages's choice to follow the recommendations of the Magi regarding the interpretation of dreams does not necessarily imply that he always believed it was best to do so, so statement II cannot be inferred. However, Astyages's decision to marry Mandane to Cambyses, a Persian noble, instead of a Median noble implies that he believed Persians were less of a threat to his position, supporting statement III. Therefore, the correct answer is C. I and III Only.

2.  Which of the following, if true, would most strongly undermine the claim that Astyages’s downfall proceeded from two major mistakes?
The claim that Astyages’s downfall proceeded from two major mistakes is based on the belief that his actions were driven by the fear of the prophesied downfall. To undermine this claim, we need to provide evidence that suggests Astyages's downfall was not directly linked to his attempts to avoid the prophecy. Option (A) provides this by suggesting that Mandane's son would have conquered his grandfather's kingdom regardless of who his father was, implying that Astyages's downfall was inevitable regardless of his actions. Therefore, the correct answer is A.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about Astyages’s view of the Median socio-political structure?

Explanation

Since Astyages reacted to his first dream by altering the marriage arrangements for his daughter (in order to select a less threatening husband), it can be inferred that he believed her husband could be a threat. Since he intentionally selected a Persian rather than a Median, it can additionally be inferred that he thought a Persian would be less of a threat. Thus, the first and third statements can be inferred. However, although Astyages’s dream was  “interpreted ominously by the Magi”  and  “as a consequence”  he pursued a course of action, the passage does not indicate that he thought it was  “always”  best to obey the Magi, nor whether the Magi made  “recommendations.”  Therefore, the second statement is not supported.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly undermine the claim that Astyages’s downfall proceeded from two major mistakes?

Explanation

One of the two mistakes referred to in the passage was marrying Mandane to Cambyses. But if her son would have deposed Astyages even if he had had a different father, then altering what would have been the normal treatment of her marriage was not a mistake that led to Astyages’s downfall. This supports  choice (A).

Answer: A

Anonymous · Answer

Sajjad1994  in first question, we are asked that what can be inferred from the passage about astyages's views on SOCIO-POLITICAL STRUCTURE...? and it can be inferred from the passage that "mede" were higher than "persians" in socio-political structure and nothing about it can be inferred from 1st and 2nd point,but the above explanation simply talks what can be inferred from the passage and seems to forget the socio-political part..

Gaganshu21 · Answer

Hi Kaif ,

Let me try to answer your question on the Socio-political part.

Political : we can say the structure of a kingdom to be political if : it has a king named Astyages, a princess named Mandane, a prince (Son-in-law) named Cambyses.

Now the 1. statement says Astyages believes that the threat to his King stature could come from his son-in law (Prince) and not through princess. This could be in any way, one think aloud be in the structure only male members can succeed or figt.

Hence, it is directly inferencing his political point of view of the system.

Socio : 2nd statement says a persian noble would be less of a threat than a Median Noble. Here, it is ordering communities with their spirit of fighting. One over the other.

Hence, it is inferencing his social point of view of the system.

dhairya18 · Answer

Question 1
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about Astyages's view of the Median socio-political structure?
I. As a result of his first dream, Astyages believed the threat his daughter posed to him could be through her husband.
II. Astyages believed that it is always best to observe the recommendations of the Magi.
III. Astyages believed that a Persian noble was less of a threat to his position than a Median noble.
(A) I only
(B) III only
(C) I and III only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III

Evaluation of Statements:
 Analysis of Statement I: True. The text states that after his first dream was interpreted ominously, Astyages intentionally altered his daughter's marriage arrangements to choose a husband he deemed less threatening. This directly implies he believed the threat could be funneled through or connected to her spouse.
 Analysis of Statement II: False. While Astyages took action as a consequence of the Magi's ominous interpretation of his dream, the passage never claims he believed it was "always" best to follow their guidance, nor does it explicitly mention the Magi making recommendations rather than just providing an interpretation.
 Analysis of Statement III: True. The passage notes that there were plenty of wealthy and powerful Medes eligible for marriage, but instead Astyages chose a Persian noble whom he regarded as a "social inferior by far of a Mede." This choice, driven by his fear of the dream, establishes that he viewed a Persian noble as less of a structural threat to his rule than a high-ranking Median noble.
Correct Answer:
(C) I and III only

Question 2
Which of the following, if true, would most strongly undermine the claim that Astyages's downfall proceeded from two major mistakes?
(A) Mandane's son would have conquered his grandfather's kingdom regardless of who his father was.
(B) The Magi were known to intentionally misinterpret dreams to manipulate the Median king.
(C) Harpagus had independent political ambitions to overthrow Astyages before the baby was born.
(D) Astyages made other critical diplomatic errors that alienated his military commanders.
(E) Cyrus would have grown up to be a peaceful farmer if Harpagus had successfully hidden him instead of letting him return.

Evaluation of Options:
 (A) Correct. The author argues that Astyages's downfall resulted directly from two major mistakes: marrying Mandane to Cambyses and ordering his offspring killed. If it is true that Mandane's son would have conquered and deposed Astyages regardless of who his father was, then changing her marriage arrangements was not actually a causal mistake that triggered his downfall. This completely disrupts the author's causal link.
 (B) Incorrect. Even if the Magi lied or misinterpreting the dreams, it does not change the fact that Astyages *did* make those specific choices based on his fear, which sets off the chain of events leading to his downfall.
 (C) Incorrect. Harpagus's personal ambitions do not disprove that Astyages's specific treatment of Cyrus and the marriage constituted the primary operational mistakes that allowed the downfall to happen.
 (D) Incorrect. The presence of other mistakes does not automatically invalidate or undermine the claim that these two specific choices were the critical turning points.
 (E) Incorrect. This option is a hypothetical scenario that actually supports the idea that the handling of the child was a critical component of his downfall, rather than undermining it.

Correct Answer:
(A) Mandane's son would have conquered his grandfather's kingdom regardless of who his father was.

Various tales in Herodotuss The Histories display a circular means of

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Various tales in Herodotuss The Histories display a circular means of

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