The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
We cannot travel outside our neighbourhood without passports. We must wear the same plain clothes. We must exchange our houses every ten years. We cannot avoid labour. We all go to bed at the same time . . . We have religious freedom, but we cannot deny that the soul dies with the body, since ‘but for the fear of punishment, they would have nothing but contempt for the laws and customs of society’. . . . In More’s time, for much of the population, given the plenty and security on offer, such restraints would not have seemed overly unreasonable. For modern readers, however, Utopia appears to rely upon relentless transparency, the repression of variety, and the curtailment of privacy. Utopia provides security: but at what price? In both its external and internal relations, indeed, it seems perilously dystopian.
Such a conclusion might be fortified by examining selectively the tradition which follows More on these points. This often portrays societies where . . . ‘it would be almost impossible for man to be depraved, or wicked’. . . . This is achieved both through institutions and mores, which underpin the common life. . . . The passions are regulated and inequalities of wealth and distinction are minimized. Needs, vanity, and emulation are restrained, often by prizing equality and holding riches in contempt. The desire for public power is curbed. Marriage and sexual intercourse are often controlled: in Tommaso Campanella’s The City of the Sun (1623), the first great literary utopia after More’s, relations are forbidden to men before the age of twenty-one and women before nineteen. Communal child-rearing is normal; for Campanella this commences at age two. Greater simplicity of life, ‘living according to nature’, is often a result: the desire for simplicity and purity are closely related. People become more alike in appearance, opinion, and outlook than they often have been. Unity, order, and homogeneity thus prevail at the cost of individuality and diversity. This model, as J. C. Davis demonstrates, dominated early modern utopianism. . . . And utopian homogeneity remains a familiar theme well into the twentieth century.
Given these considerations, it is not unreasonable to take as our starting point here the hypothesis that utopia and dystopia evidently share more in common than is often supposed. Indeed, they might be twins, the progeny of the same parents. Insofar as this proves to be the case, my linkage of both here will be uncomfortably close for some readers. Yet we should not mistake this argument for the assertion that all utopias are, or tend to produce, dystopias. Those who defend this proposition will find that their association here is not nearly close enough. For we have only to acknowledge the existence of thousands of successful intentional communities in which a cooperative ethos predominates and where harmony without coercion is the rule to set aside such an assertion. Here the individual’s submersion in the group is consensual (though this concept is not unproblematic). It results not in enslavement but voluntary submission to group norms. Harmony is achieved without . . . harming others.
utopian and dystopian societies are twins, the progeny of the same parents.
For an inference EXCEPT question, each statement should follow from the passage except one.
Emphasis on uniformity and homogeneity follows: in the tradition after More “unity, order, and homogeneity thus prevail”, and utopian homogeneity “remains a familiar theme”.
Utopia looking like dystopia with a change of perspective follows: restraints that would not have seemed unreasonable in More’s time make Utopia look “perilously dystopian” to modern readers.
A long literary tradition of imagined societies follows: the passage discusses “the tradition which follows More”, with Campanella’s The City of the Sun called “the first great literary utopia after More’s”.
That utopian and dystopian societies are twins is only a hypothesis in the passage: they “might be twins”, and the author argues only “insofar as this proves to be the case”. The author also rejects the claim that all utopias tend to produce dystopias, pointing to thousands of harmonious intentional communities. So it cannot be inferred as an established fact.
Hence, utopian and dystopian societies are twins, the progeny of the same parents.
Institutional surveillance of every individual to ensure his/her security and welfare.
The passage says Utopia relies upon “relentless transparency, the repression of variety, and the curtailment of privacy”, and that it “provides security”. Citizens need passports to travel, wear the same clothes and keep the same hours.
Institutional surveillance of every individual to ensure security and welfare matches this mix of total transparency and provided security.
Promoting competitive heterogeneity contradicts the passage, where emulation is restrained and homogeneity prevails. A society with no laws restraining individuality is the opposite of Utopia’s many rules backed by fear of punishment. Public power earned through merit conflicts with the statement that “the desire for public power is curbed” and distinctions are minimised.
Hence, Institutional surveillance of every individual to ensure his/her security and welfare.
Utopia – Security – Homogeneity – Intentional community.
Trace the passage paragraph by paragraph.
It opens with More’s Utopia and its restraints, then asks: “Utopia provides security: but at what price?” The second paragraph shows the tradition after More, in which “unity, order, and homogeneity” prevail. The last paragraph argues that utopia and dystopia share much, but not everything, and ends with intentional communities where harmony comes without coercion.
So the flow is Utopia, then security, then homogeneity, then intentional community.
A sequence starting with relentless transparency and ending with dystopia misses the opening on Utopia and the closing turn. A sequence starting with curtailment of privacy and placing dystopia before utopia gets the order wrong. A sequence ending with coercion reverses the ending, which stresses harmony “without coercion”.
Hence, Utopia – Security – Homogeneity – Intentional community.
in More’s time, there was plenty and security, so people did not need restraints that could appear unreasonable.
Check each statement against what the passage actually argues.
Early modern utopias achieving stability at the cost of the self is argued: “Unity, order, and homogeneity thus prevail at the cost of individuality and diversity”, a model that “dominated early modern utopianism”.
Thousands of communities achieving harmony by choice is argued: the author cites “thousands of successful intentional communities” where harmony comes “without coercion” and submission is consensual.
Utopian literature showing societies where wrongdoing is nearly impossible is argued: such societies are ones where “it would be almost impossible for man to be depraved, or wicked”.
The statement about More’s time distorts the passage. The author says that, given the plenty and security on offer, the restraints “would not have seemed overly unreasonable” to people then. The restraints existed and were accepted; the passage never claims people did not need them.
Hence, in More’s time, there was plenty and security, so people did not need restraints that could appear unreasonable.
Similar Questions
The given sentence is missing in the paragraph below. Decide where it best fits among the options 1, 2, 3, or 4 indicated in the paragraph.
Sentence: "Everything is old-world, traditional techniques from Mexico," Ava emphasizes.
Paragraph: The sisters embrace the ways their great-grandfather built and repaired instruments. ____(1) ____. When crafting a Mexican guitarrón used in mariachi music, they use tacote wood for the top of the instrument. Once the wood is cut, they carve the neck and heel from a single block using tools like hand saws, chisels and sandpaper rather than modern power tools — and believe that this traditional method improves the tone of the instrument. ____(2) ____. Their store has a three-year waitlist for instruments that take months to create. ____(3) ____. The family's artisanship has attracted stars like Los Lobos, who own custom guitars made by all three generations of the Delgado family. ____(4) ____. For the sisters, involvement in the family business started at an early age. They each built their first instruments at age 9.
In the dynamic realm of creativity, artists often find themselves at the crossroads between drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and inadvertently crossing into the territory of cultural appropriation. Inspiration is the lifeblood of creativity, driving artists to create works that resonate across borders. The globalized nature of the modern world invites artists to draw from a vast array of cultural influences. When approached respectfully, inspiration becomes a bridge, fostering understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. However, the line between inspiration and cultural appropriation can be thin and easily blurred. Cultural appropriation occurs when elements from a particular culture are borrowed without proper understanding, respect, or acknowledgment. This leads to the commodification of sacred symbols, the reinforcement of stereotypes, and the erasure of the cultural context from which these elements originated. It’s essential to recognize that the impact of cultural appropriation extends beyond the realm of artistic expression, influencing societal perceptions and perpetuating power imbalances.
Zombie cells may contribute to age-related chronic inflammation: this finding could help scientists understand more about the aging process and why the immune system becomes less effective as we get older. Zombie or “senescent” cells are damaged cells that can no longer divide and grow like normal cells. Scientists think that these cells can contribute to chronic health problems when they accumulate in the body. In younger people, the immune system is more effective at clearing senescent cells from the body through a process called apoptosis, but as we age this process becomes less efficient. As a result, there is an accumulation of senescent cells in different organs in the body, either through increased production or reduced clearance by the immune system. The zombie cells continue to use energy though they do not divide, and often secrete chemicals that cause inflammation, which if persistent for longer periods of time can damage healthy cells leading to chronic diseases.
Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
The last paragraph of the passage refers to “middle-class, white, professional men”. Which one of the following qualities best describes the connection among them?
Study the following sets of concepts and identify the set that is conceptually closest to the concerns and arguments of the passage.
According to the passage, who or what was an “alienist”?
“Conversely, when a defendant struck officials as unlike themselves, whether by dint of disease, gender, confession, or race, the precariousness of judgments about mental state was exposed.” Which one of the following best describes the use of the word “confession” in this sentence?
According to the incentive or moral hazard argument, which one of the designs below is most consistent with the claim that some inequality can raise growth?
Important Questions from Non Grammar
- The author's view of Hohfeld's contribution to legal scholarship can best be described as:
- The phrase "literal inaccuracy in its every phrase" is used by the author to critique the Declaration's statement, suggesting a conflict between its rhetorical power and its:
- In formulating Principle VI (a), the ILC clarified the term "waging of a war of aggression" because:
- The debate within the International Law Commission regarding the creation of an international judicial organ (Part IV) centered on the following contrasting positions:
- Based on the passage, the primary problem the author identifies with the current discourse surrounding "rights" is the:
