Direction: Read a passage and answer the items based on it. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and the opinion of the author only. The third great defect of our civilization is that it does not know what to do with its knowledge. Science has given us powers fit for the gods, yet we use them as small children. For example, we do not know how to manage our machines. Machines were made to be humanity's servants, yet man has grown so dependent on them that they are in a fair way to become his masters. Already most people spend most of their lives looking after and waiting upon machines. And the machines are very stern masters. They must be kept at the right temperature. And if they do not get their meals when they expect them, they grow sulky and refuse to work or burst with rage and blow up and spread ruin and destruction all around. So we have to wait upon them very attentively and do all that we can to keep them in a good temper. Already we find it difficult either to work or play without the machines, and a time may come when they will rule us altogether, just as we rule the animals. And this brings me to the point at which I asked, "What do we do with all the time which the machines have saved for us, and the new energy they have given us?" On the whole, it must be admitted, we do very little. For the most part, we use our time and energy to make more and better machines which will give us still more time and still more energy, and what are we to do with them? The answer, I think, is that we should try to become more civilized. For the machines themselves, and the power which the machines have given us, are not civilization but aids to civilization. But you will remember that we agreed at the beginning that being civilized meant making and linking beautiful things, thinking freely and living rightly and maintaining justice equally among people. A person has a better chance today to do these things than he/she ever had before; he/she has more time, more energy, less to fear and less to fight against. If he/she will give his/her time and energy which his/her machines have won for him/her to make more beautiful things, to find out more and more about the universe, to remove the cause of quarrels between nations, to discover how to prevent poverty, then I think our civilization would undoubtedly be the greater as it would be more lasting than it has ever been.
According to the passage, how do we use the powers bestowed upon us by science?
Understanding the Passage: How Science Powers are Used
The passage discusses various aspects of human civilization and its relationship with knowledge, science, and machines. The question asks how we, according to the author, use the powers that science has given us.
Analyzing the Author's Statement
The author makes a direct comparison in the first paragraph:
- "Science has given us powers fit for the gods..." - This highlights the immense potential science provides.
- "...yet we use them as small children." - This is the crucial part that describes *how* we use these powers.
Using something "as small children" implies a lack of maturity, wisdom, responsibility, and foresight. Small children often act impulsively, without fully understanding consequences, and might misuse powerful tools.
Evaluating the Options
Let's consider how each option aligns with the idea of using power "as small children":
- Judiciously: This means using something with good judgment, wisely, and prudently. Using power "as small children" is the opposite of using it judiciously.
- Temperamentally: This relates to mood or disposition. While children can be temperamental, using power temperamentally doesn't capture the author's broader point about misuse due to immaturity or lack of understanding.
- Divinely: This means in a god-like manner, suggesting wisdom, creation, and profound understanding. The author states the powers are *fit* for gods but are *not* used divinely; they are used "as small children."
- Irrationally: This means without reason, logically unsound, or senselessly. Using immense power impulsively, unwisely, and without considering consequences, as a small child might, is strongly aligned with acting irrationally. The author gives the example of how we manage machines, which were meant to be servants but have become masters due to our dependency and constant attention to their needs – this dependency and subservience can be seen as irrational given the initial purpose of machines.
The comparison to "small children" best fits the description of using power without reason, judgment, or maturity, which is essentially acting irrationally.
Conclusion
Based on the author's statement that "we use them as small children," the most fitting description among the given options for how we use the powers bestowed by science is irrationally.
| Author's Description | Meaning | Best Matching Option |
|---|---|---|
| Use powers "as small children" | Lack of judgment, wisdom, responsibility; impulsive or unwise use. | Irrationally |
Revision Table: Passage Analysis Key Points
| Concept | Author's View |
|---|---|
| Science Powers | Immense, "fit for the gods". |
| Usage of Powers | Used "as small children" (irrationally, unwisely). |
| Machines | Meant to be servants, becoming masters due to human dependency. |
| Time/Energy from Machines | Mostly used to make more machines, not to become more civilized. |
| Becoming Civilized | Making/linking beautiful things, thinking freely, living rightly, maintaining justice. |
| Potential for Civilization | Higher now than ever due to time/energy saved by machines. |
Additional Information: Understanding Author's Opinion in Passages
When analyzing a passage for an author's opinion, it's important to look for:
- Direct Statements: Sentences where the author explicitly states a belief or judgment (e.g., "The third great defect...", "On the whole, it must be admitted...", "The answer, I think, is...").
- Figurative Language: Comparisons, metaphors, or similes that convey a particular attitude (e.g., "powers fit for the gods," "use them as small children," machines as "stern masters"). These are powerful indicators of the author's perspective.
- Choice of Words: The use of positive, negative, or neutral language (e.g., "defect," "dependent," "stern masters," "greatest," "lasting").
- Examples Used: The examples provided often support the author's main point and reveal their viewpoint (e.g., the example of machine dependency illustrating our poor use of power).
- Tone: The overall feeling or attitude expressed (e.g., critical, hopeful, concerned, explanatory).
In this passage, the author's tone is critical of how humanity is currently using its advancements but also hopeful about the potential for a greater civilization if we change our approach.
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
Why, according to the writer can't people be motivated to use a resource prudently?
1. They feel that others may overuse the resource
2. It is possible to substitute the resource
3. Abundance of the resource availability
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
When do people use resources exhaustively?
The self-interest of people affects the use of renewable resources
People rooted in a locality
Which among the following is closest in meaning with the word 'deplete'?
