Direction: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow each passage. Your answers to these questions should be based on the passage only. The greatest enemy of mankind, as people have discovered is not science, but war. Science merely reflects the prevailing social forces. It is found that when there is peace, science is constructive, when there is war, and science is perverted to destructive ends. The weapons which science gives us do not necessarily cause war, they make war increasingly terrible. Till now, it has brought us to the doorstep of doom. Our main problem, therefore, is not to curb science, but to stop war-to substitute law for force, international government for anarchy in the relations of one nation with another. That is a job in which everybody must participate, including the scientist. The fact that we have very little time. The hour is late and our work scarcely begun. Now we are face to face with an urgent question-can education and tolerance, understanding and create intelligence run fast enough to keep us abreast with our own mounting capacity to destroy? That is the question we shall have to answer one way or the other in this generation. Science must help us in arriving at the answer, but the main decision lies within ourselves.
Th expression "bring to the doorstep of doom" means:
Carry close to death and destruction
Understanding the Phrase 'Doorstep of Doom'
The question asks for the meaning of the expression "bring to the doorstep of doom", as used in the provided passage. The passage discusses how science, while often constructive, can be perverted during war, leading humanity towards destruction.
Let's break down the idiom:
- "Doorstep" suggests being very close to something, almost at the entrance.
- "Doom" refers to ruin, destruction, or a terrible fate.
Therefore, "to the doorstep of doom" means being very close to utter destruction or a catastrophic end.
Analyzing the Options
We need to find the option that best matches this interpretation:
- Option 1: Carry close to death and destruction - This aligns perfectly with the meaning derived from the passage context. Being on the "doorstep" means being close, and "doom" signifies death and destruction.
- Option 2: Head to the threshold of a new density - The word "density" is irrelevant to the context of destruction or doom. "Threshold" is similar to "doorstep," but the rest of the phrase doesn't fit.
- Option 3: Indulge in a ruinous activity - While the situation described might involve ruinous activities (like war), the phrase itself describes the state of being *near* ruin, not the act of *engaging* in it.
- Option 4: Introduces to an unpredictable destiny - "Doom" specifically implies a negative and often inevitable outcome, not merely an unpredictable one. The phrase suggests a clear path toward destruction, not just uncertainty.
Based on the passage context and the meaning of the words, the phrase signifies reaching a point perilously close to total destruction.
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'?
