The enjoyment of physical possession of things would seem to be one of the prerogatives of wealth which has been little impaired. Presumably nothing has happened to keep the man who can afford them from enjoying his Rembrandt and his homegrown orchids. But enjoyment of things has always been associated with the third prerogative of wealth which is the distinction it confers. In a world where nearly everyone was poor, the distinction was very great. It was the natural consequence of rarity. In England it is widely agreed, the ducal families are not uniformly superior. There is a roughly normal incidence of intelligence and stupidity, good taste and bad taste, morality, immorality. But very few people are dukes and duchesses, although the latter have become rather more frequent with modern easing of divorce laws. As a result, even though they may be intrinsically unexceptional they are regarded with some awe. So it has long been with the rich. Were dukes numerous their position would deteriorate. As the rich have become more numerous, they have inevitably become a debased currency.
The enjoyment of the physical possession of things
Answer: A
Correct answer: is one of the privileges of wealth which has not been changed
The passage calls it a prerogative which has been little impaired, and adds that nothing keeps a rich man from enjoying his Rembrandt and his orchids. The whole point of the paragraph is that this prerogative survives while the third one, distinction, does not.
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Ducal families in England
Answer: D
Correct answer: are generally agreed not to be always better than others
The passage says it is widely agreed, the ducal families are not uniformly superior, and then explains: intelligence and stupidity, good and bad taste are spread among them at roughly normal rates. They are regarded with awe because they are rare, not because they are better.
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There are more duchesses now because
Answer: A
Correct answer: it is easier for dukes to divorce and remarry
The passage attributes the increase directly to the modern easing of divorce laws - a duke who divorces and remarries creates a second duchess. Immorality is mentioned only as one of the qualities distributed normally among such families.
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Among the ducal families
Answer: B
Correct answer: there is a fairly even spread of virtues and vices
The passage says there is a roughly normal incidence of intelligence and stupidity, good taste and bad taste, morality, immorality. Roughly normal incidence means an ordinary distribution, so no single quality - whether immorality, bad taste or extreme intelligence - can be singled out as characteristic.
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Corduroy is fast establishing itself as this year's fabric, While the ribbed cotton itself provides utilitarian tenacity, texture and warmth. it is the fabric's long held associations may provide a hint to its current revival as a fabric for all seasons.
It is Corduroy's link with the good breeding and country living that made it an essential ingredient in the gentleman's wardrobe along with Wellington boots and decent woolly. It combines the comfortable no-nonsense appeal of cotton with the perfectly correct luxury finish of velvet. Corduroy has the ability to appear either supremely sophisticated or rough and ready.
Which one of the following best describes the passage?
Answer: B
Correct answer: It tells us about the virtues of corduroy
The passage lists what corduroy offers - tenacity, texture, warmth, its association with good breeding, the comfort of cotton and the finish of velvet - without ever telling the reader to buy any. It is description rather than persuasion, and it covers far more than usefulness alone.
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According to the author, the special quality of corduroy is that
Answer: D
Correct answer: It combines the virtues of both cotton and velvet
The passage says outright that corduroy combines the comfortable no-nonsense appeal of cotton with the perfectly correct luxury finish of velvet. That is a claim about the qualities it brings together, not about the fibres it is made of, which is why the correct mixture of cotton and velvet misreads it as a recipe.
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Corduroy is a fabric for all seasons because
Answer: A
Correct answer: It can be worn not only in winter but also in summer
A fabric for all seasons is the phrase being explained, and a season-proof fabric is one that suits any of them. Texture and warmth are given as its utilitarian qualities, and the passage attributes the revival to the fabric's associations rather than to advertising.
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According to the passage, corduroy is essential in a gentleman wardrobe because
Answer: C
Correct answer: It has its associations with good upbringing and a conservative lifestyle
The passage says it is corduroy's link with good breeding and country living that made it essential in the gentleman's wardrobe. The Wellington boots and the woolly are the other items in that wardrobe, not the reason for corduroy's place in it.
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When the writer refers to corduroy's 'utilitarian tenacity' he means that
Answer: B
Correct answer: It is useful because it is durable
Utilitarian means serving a practical purpose and tenacity means the ability to hold together and last. Taken together the phrase says the cloth is useful because it wears well; it says nothing about cost, fashion or laundering.
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Organisations are institutions in which members compete for status and power. They compete for resource of the organisation, for example finance to expand their own departments, for career advancement and for power to control the activities of others. In pursuit of these aims, grouped are formed and sectional interests emerge. As a result, policy decisions may serve the ends of political and career systems rather than those of the concern. In this way, the goals of the organisation may be displaced in favour of sectional interests and individual ambition. These preoccupations sometimes prevent the emergence of organic systems. Many of the electronic firms in the study had recently created research and development departments employing highly qualified and well paid scientists and technicians. Their high pay and expert knowledge were sometimes seen as a threat to the established order of rank, power and privilege. Many senior managers had little knowledge of technicality and possibilities of new developments and electronics. Some felt that close cooperation with the experts in an organic system would reveal their ignorance and show their experience was now redundant.
The theme of the passage is
Answer: D
Correct answer: Emergence of sectional interests in organizations
The passage traces one movement throughout: members compete, groups form, sectional interests emerge, and the goals of the organisation are displaced in favour of sectional interests and individual ambition. Groupism and individual ambition are stages in that account, and the senior managers' frustration is one illustration of its effects.
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